#Deafblind Bablu Runs Chaumin Shop @senseindia

Bablu Ram (19 years) lives in Village-Babhanwai, Police Station-Mufassil, Hazaribag with his parents Mrs. Neeru Devi and Mr. Subodh Ram. The parents are small farmers and they run a Chaumin shop at Mukundganj chowk near their village. Bablu is suffering from profound hearing loss, Down’s syndrome, mental retardation, multi-sensory impairment, and hypertension with side vision problem also. He was identified amid the survey of beneficiaries by NBJK under Sense India Supported program on Services to Deafblind Children.

He was a different youngster with immense love for music & dance, unpredictable behavior, wandering nature and became an entertaining item for some insensible people. So the parents have preferred to keep Bablu inside the home and he was leading a captive life literally before. NBJK has intervened in his case successfully and he was provided home based services by the program team after building a trustworthy relation with the parents. Bablu went under functional/clinical assessment, got hearing aid, spectacle and a special teacher has provided him training upon ADL (Activities of Daily Living), communication, socialization etc. He learnt functional reading & writing, coloring pictures, counting of currency/coins and became interested to do household works also. All these have resulted as a positive change for this young chap. His liking and attitude have been changed. He became more hygienic as well as responsive towards the activities around him. His interest in listening music and cooking at the same time has led him to family owned Chaumin shop.

He lives there and supports his parents in chopping vegetables, making dishes and serving customers. He enjoys all these with his music flowing earphone. To show their love to Bablu, the parents have renamed the shop as Ayush Chaumin Centre. NBJK team comprised by Mr. Narsingh Ram, Mr. Basant, Mr. Paras Nath Mahto, Mrs. Mary, Mrs. Indu and Ms Rashmi has labored hard to mainstream Bablu gradually. He was supported with Rs. 15000 to revamp his Chaumin shop. Bablu is happy at the shop and contributing to his family business.

LBHC Girl Resham Kumari as a Class Topper

Resham Kumari (11 years) came to Lord Buddha Home for Children (LBHC) in the year 2008 as an orphan girl. She belongs to village – Nigari, post – Dobhi, district – Gaya and lost her mother Mrs. Chando Devi in the year 2005. Her father, Mr. Nirdo Manjhi later abandoned his kids; Resham and Ankit and re-married. Both children were facing hardships in life and were suffering from social apathy, poverty and illiteracy. They belong to the Musahar or Bhuiyan caste; the most oppressed caste in Bihar. With the help of some villagers, both Resham and her brother Ankit were enrolled at LBHC and started a new chapter of their lives. They are the first literate generation of their family. Resham got admission in Pre-Manav Bharti National School as a student of nursery. She was receptive and sincere towards study. From class I, she has shown her talent. In her previous examination she got 98% marks and was noticed by LBHC and the school management. In the recent annual examination of class II, she has secured 100% marks and is also the Class Topper. She is receiving the appreciation and recognition from her school and the media as well. Her desire to study and her hard work is motivating for other kids as well. She has made everybody proud of her at LBHC and is now an inspiration for every child. She wishes to become a doctor to serve the people in need and distress. We will try our level best to provide her with all the facilities needed to fulfill her dreams. She is a kindhearted, cool minded and sensible girl who cares for other children, said by her housemother Mrs. Radhika Devi. NBJK family is proud of Resham Kumari and wishes for her bright future.

Physiotherapy Support to Master Nishant

Master Nishant (6 years) was hit by meningitis when he was merely 3 years old and that dreadful cerebral fever was not treated properly by doctors at Hazaribag. We went Ranchi, consulted doctors, hospitals like RIMS, Apollo and spent around Rs. 1.5 lacs for treatment but he could not be like before, Mr. Sudhir Das (father of Nishant) complains who is a simple cushion maker in Hazaribag town and looks after a family of 6 with his meager income. Nishant was a normal child and even vaccinated timely at a neighborhood Anganwadi center before, recalls Sudhir Das with pain as his son became impaired, suffered from brain hemorrhage and lost all his physical-mental abilities as a pretty child. Nishant is currently under treatment of Dr. K. K. Sinha, a famous neurologist of Ranchi who prescribed medicines and suggested for physiotherapy as a system of treatment. NBJK provides physiotherapy service to Nishant, regularly and free of cost. Dr. Mukesh Kr. Suman (physiotherapist) has shouldered this responsibility with zeal and motivates the parents to repeat selected exercises at home also. He taught them movements and after a short duration of a month only, remarkable progress is evident for Nishant. He was unable to sit but now sits straight and tries to walk even, observes Dr. Suman and claims for cure gradually with help of physiotherapy.

Towards Food Self-reliance and Earnings

NBJK-Khunti has promoted SHG office bearers to sustainable agriculture with support of Axis Bank Foundation, Mumbai. This picked 75 leading members of 15 SHGs in 10 villages and provides them a comprehensive, regular training on agriculture from December’14. The objective is to train all groups ultimately with help of their members who are getting on farm training including water mapping, irrigation and pest control also. In another initiative of Ensuring Food Security & Livelihood with support of Sir Ratan Tata Trust, Mumbai, 22 households of Ulidih village under Barudih panchayat are facilitated to develop an upland patch of 7 acres for watermelon farming. They checked water from a local watercourse flowing near the experimental land to grow this unusual crop for villages of Khunti. Recently, the same target group has shown their performance in community tomato farming with a cumulative net profit of Rs. 2 lacs 36 thousand. This experience has motivated the group to switch over to a new range of agro product that was never produced here commercially. These farmers have received pump sets and other relevant inputs for watermelon farming. These are the new trends followed by tribal farmers for resource making and sustainable livelihood they need for self-reliance.

Community Sanitary Blocks at Ranchi Slums

Under WaterAid supported Community based WASH Initiatives for Urban Poor in slum areas like Nayaktoli, Nagratoli, Ravidas Muhalla, Domtoli and Quoreshi Muhalla in Ranchi; Community Sanitary Blocks (CSBs) are a model hygienic set up to provide toilet amenities for the people of weaker section. There are 3 CSBs being used by around 300 families compelled for open defecation earlier. People are organized here as Slum Development Committees in each area and took responsibility to maintain and monitor CSBs. They deposit monthly service charge from each household to run CSBs and collect user charge from others who use WASH facilities provided here. Though some times this is not easy to collect money but timely intervention like awareness drive or door to door visit by NBJK project staff makes a way to address the problem. These Community Sanitary Blocks provide 24×7 services to all, safety for women & girl children and people could develop a sense of belongingness to this public assets/system they were deprived of before.

Cross CBR Supports Uddin Mian

Uddin Mian (35) of Selhara village under Chouparan block (Hazaribag) was a skilled mason and eligible to run his family at ease. About 8 years ago, he fell down from a building and both of his legs became paralyzed. Since then he was on bed and dependent. It was frustrating as Uddin couldn’t afford better treatment and became hopeless for any change. Sometimes he thought to commit suicide even.

In the year 2011, Mr. Radha Raman (CBR worker) has contacted Uddin Mian on behalf of Cross CBR project by NBJK with support from Sightsavers, Kolkata. He motivated this broken man to revive step by step, started physiotherapy and trained Uddin’s wife also as a co-therapist. Gradually Uddin has resumed activities of daily life independently and could bring back the confidence he lost earlier.

He was supported to get Aadhaar card, medical certificate, pension, tricycle, crutches etc. and encouraged to form a self-help group in his village. Presently, Uddin is the treasurer of this SHG and organized other people with disabilities. After consultation with his family members, he decided to open a petty shop in front of his house and got a small amount as seed capital to initiate. Now Uddin runs the shop and participates in community affairs. He is an active member of the Disable People’s Organization at block level and contributes to the promotion of rights & advocacy for other people like him. I feel thankful to the entire team of NBJK that supported me and my family to live again with dignity, Uddin Mian says.