Family of Disabled - A voluntary organization working with the differently abled.
Ever since organizing the Abilities Mela in July 2004, BCF has been trying to bring Disability centrestage within the realm of CSR. As a part of our continuing work on Disability and Livelihoods the resumes of the differently able are posted in the resume section on our website. The idea has been to match the knowledge and skills of the disabled/differently able people with the available job opportunities or self-employment opportunities.
The effort is also directed towards bringing to the fore the substantial work done by the organizations working with the differently able. As a part of this newsletter we would like to focus on the work done by one of these organizations i.e. Family of Disabled (FOD).
FOD is a charitable trust founded in 1992 to serve the people with different disabilities. Launched with a single member Mr Rajinder Johar, a person with quadriplegia (paralysis of all four limbs), today FOD is a family comprising more than thousand members, supporters, donors and well-wishers with state chapter in Bangalore.
One of the unique features of FOD is its Apna Rozgar Scheme. The scheme started in 1998 as an effort to economically rehabilitate differently able persons who are illetrate, unskilled and have no chance of employment in private or public sector. The scheme offers them financial (in kind) and moral support to start or expand their own micro trades thereby enabling them to sustain themselves and their families. This facility has been extended to 223 individuals (as on 9-4-2005) in Delhi with success rate of 75 - 80 percent. On an average these individuals have been earning three to seven thousand rupees per month. FOD also makes it a point to monitor these small ventures and provide help as and when required.
The organization encourages artists with disability through different programmes like holding national level exhibitions of their artwork- Beyond Limits. Such exhibitions have been organised in 2001, 2002 and 2004. FOD also transforms their paintings into greeting cards and also help amateur, unskilled and school children who would be interested in See Our Ability project sponsored by an export house. Under this project approximately. Rupees 1.5 lac has already been disbursed among artists.
FOD has been publishing 'The Voice of FOD' since 1992, a biannual magazine that comprehensively covers disability before disseminating the information to cross section of the readers in India and abroad. It is the oldest publication of its kind in the country and the only one from northern India.
FOD once in a year organises educational cum entertaining tours in Delhi for those disabled individuals and children who cannot afford to manage much needed break from their fixed routine.
The organisation also makes available aids and appliances to the needy from friendly organisations free of cost.
For its services in the disability sector FOD and its chief coordinator has received thirteen awards in all, a few of them are Hellen Keller award, Cavinkare Eminence award- 2005, National award, Ram Krishna Jai Dayal Harmony Award 1992 etc.
We would request all to provide a helping hand to FOD in the following ways:
- Volunteering your time and skills at FOD.
- Sponsoring/ referring differently able persons for Apna Rozgar Scheme.
- Making and arranging donations to fund FOD's programmes.
- Patronizing and helping in sale of greeting cards.
- Contributing material (news, articles, anecdotes, inspiring jokes, cartoons, quotations, photographs etc) on disability for the magazine.
- Raising subscriptions, advertisements for the magazine.
- Introducing differently able artists.
FOD Contact Information:
Regd Office
B - 1/1500, Janakpuri
New Delhi - 110058
Phone: 25597328, 51570140
E-mail: fod@vsnl.net
contact@familyofdisabled.org
Website: www.familyofdisabled.org
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