RYTHM Foundation Champions Sustainable Community Project for the differently abled with Women’s Development Centre (WDC) in Kandy

Supporting the rights of differently abled is a key area that measures the social development of a community. This includes ensuring access to rehabilitation and economic empowerment while providing them with long-term care and assuring them of social inclusion and greater integration. This thinking forms the basis of exceptional outreach programmes that uplifts the living standards and economic empowerment of differently-abled individuals.

The social impact arm of the Hong Kong headquartered QI Group, the RYTHM Foundation is committed to nurturing sustainable development through empowering vulnerable communities in Sri Lanka as well as in other parts of the world. In partnership with several locally based organizations, the RYTHM Foundation has been working on grassroots development project to help empower and transform underserved communities.

One such Sustainable Community Project addresses the needs of the differently-abled community in Kandy, in partnership with the Women’s Development Centre (WDC).  Personalised rehabilitation services are provided to youth and children through a Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) programme made available at specialized centres.

So far, 11 CBR centres have been successfully established in the Kandy district and WDC is hoping to further expand this model by adding on five new centres in Kelebokka, Hanguranketha, Udapalatha, Pasbagekorale and Harispaththuwa.

An ongoing project with a duration of three years, which began in May 2019 and will end in April this year, the programme also involves home visit based therapeutic intervention. Currently 416 individuals have benefitted from the initiative.

Parents of differently-abled children have been given expert know-how and guidance on meeting the special health and education needs of the children. The youth beneficiaries have been given vocational and livelihood training.  Of the approximately 25 youth who were trained, nine have found successful jobs while two received support to start a small business and have become entrepreneurs.

The current social scenario viewed through the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) report of the Sri Lankan Department of Census and Statistics shows that as of 2019,  approximately one out of every six(16.0%) people in Sri Lanka are multidimensionally poor. Multi-dimensional poverty includes various deprivations experienced by economically challenged people in their daily lives ; poor health, lack of education, inadequate living standards, disempowerment, poor quality of work, the threat of violence, and living in areas that are environmentally hazardous, are just some of these factors. In addition, those with disabilities are more likely to experience these shortfalls given the fact that the opportunities available to them are limited.

In addition to direct help, the programme also covers fostering a sense of social inclusion for the disabled within their communities which extends to cultural and religious events as well.

The aim of RYTHM Foundation is to ensure the long term sustainability of every collaborative project.

“Our goal is to ensure that even after the collaboration with our partners end, the community we helped will have the tools they need to continue their efforts to affect long-lasting change. For WDC, various committees have been formed by the CBR programmes for support, and close collaboration with members of school administration, social services department, well-wishers and divisional level service providers help with referrals and support the volunteers,” comments Umayal Eswaran, Chairperson of RYTHM Foundation.

With these initiatives WDC can be a resource pool providing future training to volunteers in Sinhala, Tamil and English. Currently, 38 volunteers have already completed a 10-day course which equips them with adequate theory and practical knowledge to help those with disabilities.

21-year-old Parami and 27 year old Kasun are proud success stories of the CBR programme. They are both hearing impaired and with the help of the CBR programme were able to receive rehabilitation support and training that enabled them to transform their lives. Parami today manages a successful sewing and handicraft business with her mother while Kasun is employed as a graphic designer. They were introduced to each other by the CBR staff and recently got married, with the ceremony conducted in sign language.

Eswaran adds “Unfortunately, the needs of specially-abled children and youths are often overlooked in society. We do what we can to help these individuals because with the right kind of rehabilitation and nurturing of talent, they have the potential to not only live active lives but also enrich the lives of others in their community.”