Transparency Data

Project Info

Below you will find fully detailed information about the project:

1. What is the actual local situation you are addressing?

Kashmir has suffered from militancy and political disruption for the last 19 years which increased the poverty of most local people through lack of work. This lead to lack of medical and social systems reaching those with disabilities in remote areas.

Now as normalcy returns, caregivers and disabled persons are coming forward to get help from Hope Centre to overcome their disadvantages. We would like to expand and reach disabled persons in all 9 other districts but because of funding sources we are presently located in two districts, one of which was hit also by the earthquake of 2005 near the Pakistan border with Kashmir.

2. What has led you (or the organisation) to start the project?

Our society has been uplifting disabled persons since 2001. We have surveyed more than 1850 disabled persons in that second district whom we have started to rehabilite with support initially from MEND NZ and other organizations such as Abilis Finland. We have successfully discharged more than 178 disabled kids so far after intensive and lowcost rehabilitation, which included corrective surgery and physiotherapy. We are happy to see them finally running around and going to normal school and many youths also with some skills that can earn them an income.

As we gain more resources and grants, carry our projects satisfactorily and attract supporters, both national and international, our organisational and structural capacity is gradually increasing.

As awareness of the power of rehabilitation is spread to often illiterate Kashmiris caregivers of disabled persons and the general rural community are approaching us for help.

3. What do you want to achieve?

We would like to set up and manage a second, permanent, quality outreach rehabilitation centre on land donated in a district called Kupwarra in which Hope staff have been active for the last year. This will consolidate and expand that past project to reach the other 1700 disabled persons awaiting help.

Kupwarra is a poor district and most rural persons have limited funds for clothes, food, travel costs for hospital treatment and to pay school fees. We want to provide that district’s only such disability centre as a unique healing place with a friendly atmosphere and effective treatments. We offer community based rehabilitation too and follow-up so that families become aware that they have to help too for the treatment to be effective.

4. How are you going to achieve it?

With sufficient funds of about $30,000 US we will construct a basic, sturdy accessible brick and concrete building, about 15 X 11 meters, within 12 months, which will have a physiotherapy clinic, an office, a kitchen, disabled- friendly bathroom, skills training room, special school and pharmacy, some hostel accommodation for 10 members from remote areas. As with the first center, our goal is to provide rehabilitation support to about 1700 children and 1700 youth and adults yearly.

A physiotherapist and two special needs’ teachers/physio-aides and a watchman/handyman/driver will be paid to manage this centre 5.5 days per week and also run the CBR programme in the community.

The Kupwarra community will be invited to offer whatever services, funds, ideas or materials to this project so that an accessible building is started and with the community’s support. The donated land will be transferred into She Hope ownership before any building starts.

A contractor will be hired and a price fixed to build the Centre. A local volunteer with past track record will be sought as volunteer manager to oversee the construction.

5. What is your long term vision for the project?

With a second rehabilitation centre permanently set up in Kupwarra quality, longterm and reliable disability services can be focused there during very harsh winters when roads are blocked.

A good hearing test clinic will be made to utilise the audiometer and quality, lowcost hearing aids donated from NZ and Australia.

6. How is your idea/project going to benefit the community or the situation?

As most local Kashmiris have no idea of rehabilitation this project will create awareness. In return the community will help us to organize such awareness-raising camps and provide refreshments for all participants as well as accommodation for Hope staff when we visit for CBR programmes.

The head person of each village will announce in their respective areas to come for registration of needs and disabilities which will give them trust and provide an easy way to reach us.

The new Outreach Centre will improve health and hope for many kids and youth through mobility aids, surgery, and skills training programmes. This is turn will release caregivers of the daily burden of caring for their disabled members.

7. Which results do you expect?

Our goal is to provide quality rehabilitation support to about 1700 registered disabled children and provide their caregivers with awareness about disability and the power of rehabilitation through intensive physiotherapy following corrective surgery. Particularly that the family and community must be involved and play a role in the successful integration of each disabled person. A special school will also cater to about 20 regular kids each day who await physiotherapy both morning and afternoon.

We expect at least an equal number of adults (2000) will use the new Centre's services each year knowing that the government estimates there are 35,000 disabled persons in that district awaiting help.

A physiotherapist and two special needs’ teachers/physio-aides and a watchman/handyman/ driver will be paid to manage this centre 5.5 days per week and also run the CBR programme in the community. This gives the opportunity to study living conditions in the homes of the disabled beneficiaries where access to bathing and toilet facilities can be improved with handrails and standing frames and parallel bars to allow home based physiotherapy to continue. This avoids travel costs to and from the Centre.

8. How can you measure those results (quantifying)?

Construction reports, including video and photo documentation, will be made monthly and be sent from the new Outreach Centre to Hope Centre and donors. Frequent phone calls to discuss problems and changes to plans will link both Hope and Outreach Centre.

The independent monitor will visit the site each year to verify that acounts and work are satisfactorily carried out. The community will be invited to offer work in exchange for services offered to their disabled members In lieu of payments.

9. Communication, visits and feedback

How often will you be able to inform about progress and developments?
Regularly

Who is the person responsible for communication?
Sami Wani

When is the best time in the day/week for participants to contact you?
Any time

What is the best way to communicate (email, skype or other)?
Preferably via email

Do you accept participants visiting the project?
Contact us to discuss.

Which is the best time?
Contact us to discuss.

Any requirements for visitors?
No.

10. What do you expect from the Uniting People community?

We need volunteers with medical/rehabilitation/office/construction skills/ as well as special needs’ teachers and finances as outlined below.