Problem & Solution
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The Problem
Current situation in India
- 1% of the population constitutes persons with mental retardation. The prevalence of mental retardation varies from 0.22-32.7 per thousand populations. At a conservative estimate, the number is one crore in India.
- As children, they are looked after by parents, schools for MCF. Then they become adults.
- There is no infrastructure to look after them as adults.
- The burning question in the mind of parents of MCF - What after me?
- Current status
- Inadequate government infrastructure to look after the MCF Adult.
- Government schemes are on paper; very few in reality.
- Some organizations do look after MCF, but due to lack of funds...
- The aim there is to reduce their nuisance value.
- They are caged, herded, isolated and neglected.
- There is minimum interaction with society.
- Scene in the villages: MCFs are -
- locked inside the house.
- Let free to roam the village.
- mocked at, ill-treated and even stoned.
- chained like cattle, when the parents go to work in the fields.
- Parents look after them as long as they can and hope that the child dies before them.
- Thirty years ago, with the joint family system, MCFs managed to survive, well looked after by the members at home.
- Today, nuclear families leave the responsibility on the sibling, making him/her handicapped.
- There are only a few organizations in Pune taking care of a total of 250-300 MCF Adults.
MCF in developed countries
- The culture is system driven. The government is the main stakeholder.
- There are big institutes like Camphill (60 years old) and Arc (160 years old) in the US.
- Government land and money is available.
- Voluntary service, gifts in cash and kind are forthcoming from the sensitized society.
The difference between the situation in the West and in India
| The West | India |
|---|---|
| Strong government support. | Government support is highly inadequate. |
| Established safety systems incorporated in transport, traffic discipline, workplace, social service. | Each person is a system unto himself. Indisciplined traffic & work culture make it unsafe for an MCF to be on his own. |
| Christian religion - Service oriented: Service to the underprivileged is an integral part of the religion. | Indian religion - Individual - Moksha-oriented. |
| Government land available and given. | Land available at a premium. Government land is mired in redtapism and lack of transparency. |
| Culture is corporate-oriented and seeks a mega centralized solution for each social problem. | Culture is decentralized - small scale, cottage industry-oriented. |
| Social responsibility is woven into the financial and business structure. | CSR has recently been introduced in India. |
| Limited population size. | Immense population size. |
MCFs have a special problem
| Friends with other handicaps | Mentally Challenged Friends |
|---|---|
| Get trained and become self sufficient and ready to leave, making place for another person at their Institute/Home. | Once taken in, they stay on at the centre for life. Hence, once a centre is full, the only option is to start another one. |
| Know what is good for them. | Do not know what is good for them. |
| Can look after themselves. | Cannot look after themselves. |
| Know their rights and can fight for them. | Do not know their rights and cannot fight for them. |
| Can be productive in controlled conditions. Know the benefits of productivity. | Have a short attention span and are not aware of the relevance of productivity. |
| Can interact with society with help and support. | Do not know how to behave or interact. |
| Can maintain personal hygiene. | Need constant supervision in day to day activities such as personal hygiene and cleanliness. |
| Can make friends and form their own groups. | Cannot go out and make friends or meet in groups. |
| Do not harm themselves. | Need to be protected from themselves as well as others. |
| Psychological and behavioural problems only slightly more than a normal person. | Many of them have psychological/behavioural problems and idiosyncrasies, to a greater or lesser extent. |
The Solution
Navkshitij model
- Make MCF rehabilitation a cottage industry with small multiple units.
- Sensitize society.
- Increase representation. Make the group large enough for the government to take notice.
- Seek improvement in government involvement and implementation of policies and schemes.
- Sensitize the government to make reserved land available for this activity
- Start a model unit, striking the right mix of best practices and feasibility, adapted to the Indian conditions.
- Show by example that such a unit can be run economically, within limited means.
- Shift the focus from reducing nuisance value of the MCF to giving them a happy, dignified, protected, productive, active, interactive and enjoyable life.
- Motivate parents of MCF and other NGOs to start small units under the Navkshitij umbrella, housing 15-20 MCFs (or even less), by pooling resources and taking help from local companies, friends, relatives and well wishers. Seek a local patron.
- Provide these small groups with the knowhow, systems, guidance, training, assistance and trained personnel.
- Give the MCF pre-vocational training to develop certain skills and make them employable.
- Persuade companies, offices and workshops in the surrounding areas to contribute, participate and employ the MCF part time or full time.
- Establish presence, visibility and credibility of Navkshitij and other NGOs working for MCF.
- Ensure the MCFs are a familiar sight in their locality - going for evening walks, purchases and celebrating festivals with the local populace.
- Establish a free flow of MCFs into society and the society into the MCF?s world, under controlled conditions.
Friendship Day with friends from the Rotaract Club of Sports City
