Manpower Developedmant Community Organization

A. Disability in Sankhuwasabha district: Sankhuwasabha is emerging from many years or agitation, political upheaval and change from a feudal monarchy to a republic. Social services reaching the poorest disabled people Sankhuwasabhalese have suffered greatly in this time combined with its remoteness, mountains and inaccessible valises. It is estimated, that at least 10% of the population have disabilities and require assessment and rehabilitation. Causes of disability include: CP, polio, war injuries, leprosy, accidents, hearing speech and blindness, burns, birth deformities, surgical and medical errors and mental health issues.      From what we have been told by the people we have worked with and met, observed and from the government policies we have read there are significant barriers and human rights issues for people with disability in Nepal. There is a stigma attached to being disabled, people are seen as lesser citizens, the language use in government policy further alienates people e.g. - acronym pwd = People with Disability, feeble minded, and handicapped to name a few. Teachers in the schools where we took classes used words such as ‘hate and dislike’ when they asked students why Sankhuwasabha had these attitudes to disabled people. It was explained to us that woman with disability rarely marry, in fact they are shunned by men in general. Children with disabilities are hidden away in homes, rarely seen in the community and do not have access to education. Human rights of disabled people in Sankhuwasabha district are significant issue. With a least 10% of the population having been identified as disabled, and these are only the cases that have been ‘registered’ Sankhuwasabha district  has significant issues to address in regard to meeting the needs of their disabled citizens and this is not without significant challenges. With political instability: inability to form a government and corruption, numerous equally important areas of need e.g. developing infrastructure, promoting health and access to education (with 60% illiteracy), social attitudes and the reliance upon the family structure to support these people, combined with the influx of overseas aid and volunteers coming to Sankhuwasabha district, government funding going into this area is limited and sadly a lower priority.   What we have observed it that there is a lack of awareness of the Disabled policy in Sankhuwasabha in Government INGO’s/ NGO’s and independent foreigners, there is little evidence of a co-ordinate approach, strategic or business plan’s, and the approach to rehabilitation is the ‘whatever it takes approach’ which works well for individuals but does not make for durable sustainable long term change for disabled people collectively.   B. Disable Student Sponsorship:                                                       MDCO has a disability student child sponsorship program in Sankhuwasabha district to change the lives of many disability student, poor and needy children, social/ rural people, particularly rural valise peasant, women, and landless people in the community. Thanks to donors like you, disability student, children receive money for wheelchair, eye glass school uniforms, monthly school fees, stationery, medical treatment; etc... Donors can select a child to sponsor. Sponsored disability student children receive education at either a private English boarding school or a government school   C. Disable Student Support program:   MDCO has been supporting Sankhuwasabha orphanage for two years.Currently there are 12 children: 7 boys and 5 girls aged 4 to 14 years, who are being cared for by Dhana Maya Nepal. SESF has been supporting Khandbari orphanagefor two years.Currently there are 12 children: 4 boys and 5 girls aged 4 to 14 years, cared for by Dhana Maya Nepal.The children attend private boarding schools in the Khandbari area. Last year a volunteer from Slovenia came to help the children. She showed us how to improve the organization of the orphanage. She also helped the children with their homework and involved them in extracurricular activities. Her stay at the orphanage has had a very positive effect on the children   D. Scholarships for Disabled Students:                                                    In Sankhuwasabha district, disabled student children are often seen as cast-offs, as pariahs or as punishment for "sins" of the family. They seldom have an opportunity to prove themselves as productive members of society. Only 30% of disabled people are educated; the rest are relegated to barren lives, unable to read, write, playing, computer lorning or earn a living.   From its inception, MDCO has paid special attention to these children, whether they are blind or deaf, suffering from conditions such as cerebral palsy, or have other challenges. If they can enter regular school or college, we enroll them there. Accommodation For yet other children, the best place is a special school program that gives them hope and independence. We love giving disabled youngsters a chance to prove their intelligence and capability – and to proudly learn to support themselves. We have been working with blind children particularly since MDCO was founded in 1999, in the form of scholarships and training programs. Some of the students we started to support in grade school are now in college and even graduate school. No one else in Sankhuwasabha district supports disabled students in school as MDCO does. The need for an education for blind and deaf children in particular is a critical one in Sankhuwasabha. Because of dietary deficiencies and lack of medical care, sankhuwasabha has a rate of blindness many times higher than the out of district there are tens of thousands of blind school-aged children in sankhuwasabha, yet only a small percentage attends school. Two disabled children at a school that provides for their needs The same is true for youngsters who are deaf. The incidence of deafness is also very high, compared to developed countries. There are only a handful of schools that educate the deaf; the average cost to send a deaf child to boarding school is usually higher than the annual income of a Sankhuwasabhalese family. Thus, few deaf children have the opportunity to attend school. Without an education, blind or deaf children are relegated to the most barren lives, unable to read or write and with no way to earn a living. Their prospects are greatly improved if they receive an education, which in turn enhances their chances of getting a job. We can boast of many successes.