About SACRED

It is estimated that about 5 per cent of population in India is disabled. About 75 per cent of them live in rural areas without access to basic rehabilitation and appropriate services. Social Action for Child Rehabilitation Emancipation and Development ( SACRED ), a voluntary organization established in 1994 caters to the needs of disabled persons in the rural areas.

SACRED believes that development can be achieved only throught the engagement of persons with disability in their own development process. Development focuses on empowering persons with disability to claim their rights to opportunities and services. SACRED believes in enabling people to realize their right to participate and to access information relating to decisions that affect their lives. it also believes in building inclusive societies, based on equality and non-discrimination and by promoting human right of persons with disability, families and communities.

VISION

Persons with disability(PWDs) lead dignified life not only by availing equal opportunities and rights and accessing resources and services but also by combating discrimination and injustice in family, community and society.

MISSION

Integration of persons with disability into mainstream life through involvement in the development processes and empowerment. The approach of SACRED is on Community Based Rehabilitation covering social, economic, physical, psychological and medical rehabilitation of disabled persons. Persons with disability are identified and involved actively in the community affairs and in the process of decision making. Capacity building training is given to persons with disability to become activists in villages. Activists take the responsibility of identifying disabled persons, organizing them in to self help groups, creating awareness on provision and rights and on advocacy issues.

SACRED has been facilitating PWD's to frame their long felt grievances and injustice into the language of rights. By Building awareness among disabled and able - bodied persons about various disability related issues / problem, SACRED has been strengthening people based organizations and making them functional bodies to carry out the task of empowering persons with disability. Both Anantapur and Kurnool districts falling under the purview of Rayalaseema Region of Andhra Pradesh are relatively more backward and it calls for collective and concurrent efforts both by governmental and non - governmental organization to bring on changes in societal attitudes and to implements various Socoi - economic, physical and medical rehabilitation programs of action apart from emphasizing on effective advocacy and lobbying for disabled friendly legisliation to gradually bring in substantial changes in the living condition of disabled person.

COLLABORATIONS

SACRED works in partnership with Action for Disability - UK (AFD), Basic needs India, GANGOTRI, farmerly Council for Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology (CAPART), and the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of INDIA.

OBJECTIVES

• To promote and strengthen self help groups of disabled persons to exercise their right.
• To build leadership and managerial skills among the leaders of self help group.
• To provide rehabilitation, vocational skills and livelihood activite for persons with disability.
• To enable persons with disability to avail the benefits and concessions from the government.
• To enhance the quality of life of persons with disability
• To network with like minded Non Governmental organizations and with the government.

INTERVENTIONS

Rehabilitation Development Workers (RDWs) and other staff members are drawn from the local area. Each worker covers 8-10 villages apart from the existing villages level community activist.

1. Raising awareness among disabled persons on their rights and entitlements through vario6us media such as wall writing, street theaters, videos show etc.,
2. Leadership training, mass rallies, awareness workshops, campaigns and medical campas are held.
3. SACRED, together with other organization, has been advocating for inclusive education and enrollment of children with disability in local schools. Children with disability are enrolled in local schools and some in special schools.
4. SACRED has enabled persons with disability to obtain disability certificates, travel concessions, ration cards, disability pensions, scholarships and land for building houses.
5. Provision of aids and appliances such as crutches, calipers, tricycles, pushcarts, hearing aids, artificial limbs, walkers, splints etc., to persons with disability through other organizations like Rural Development Trust.
6. SACRED has assisted in medical treatment of persons with orthopedic disability, learning and visual impairments requiring aids and appliances and therapy interventions by referring them to specialists and orthotic and prosthetic workshops.
7. With the support of BasicNeeds India, SACRED is implementing the Community Mental Health programme for persons with mental illness. They are identified, treated and supported for livelihood after stabilization.
8. SACRED conducts leadership training for self help group members, development workers and community resource persons. It builds the capacity of local institutions like panchyats, peoples organizations, SHGs, Mahila Samakhya, health and education committees.
9. SACRED promotes self help groups for disabled persons and encourages savings for livelihood activities.
10. Persons with disability are exposed to various vocational skills such as sericulture, tailoring, agarbathi making, vulcanizing, welding, cycle repair, cane weaving and other trades, which increases their income and gives recognition in the community.
11. SACRED facilitated formation of Mandal level Federation called Gramikya Vikalangula Abhirudhi Mandali (GIVAM), which is registered and functioning independently with the membership of 48 disabled persons. GIVAM is lobbying with the concerned authorities for ensuring their basic rights and entitlements.
12. Disabled persons are availing loans for income generation activities such as dairying farming, petty shop, vegetable business, sericulture, agriculture and sheep rearing.
13. SACRED has trained community workers and families with disabled children in physiotherapy, speech therapy, activities of daily living and mobility training.
14. SACRED has been providing consultancy on disability issues to other organizations like the partners of ADD India and CBR Forum, SERP of Andhra Pradesh, GRAM Nizamabad and other like minded NG0s.