Education India Project #48200

Enable children with disabilities in Indian slums.

by OSCAR (Organization for Social Change, Awareness and Responsibility) Foundation

Project Report | May 10, 2021
OSCAR supports children with disabilities living in Mumbai slums during India's Covid-19 crisis.

By Lucinda Sowerbutts | Head of Operations

Distributing emergency food to the most vulnerable

The Indian Covid-19 crisis has created unimaginable challenges for poor families living in the Mumbai slums. Schools and clubs are closed and sports & recreational activities cancelled. Parents have no work and no savings to buy food. OSCAR is providing vulnerable families with a ‘Covid Care & Food Pack’, plus assistance with vaccine sign up.

During lockdown children are confined to tiny one room houses, with no toilet or running water. Up to 8 family members live together and often forced to sleep in rotation. There's no space for children to study or play. It's hot, overcrowded and people are scared. To keep the kids engaged, OSCAR has taken all programmes online and is providing specialised sessions for children with special needs, including fitness, Zumba and educational activities.

Before the recent lockdown the ‘Enabling Change’ children were regularly using the new 'Digital Learning Centres', developing computer skills, accessing school work and having fun. Sadly, the centres have had to close but kids can engage with OSCAR's programmes virtually. Activity kits have been given to younger children to encourage them to stay at home and not loiter on the streets.

Govinda, 27 was born and raised in the Ambedkar Nagar community and runs OSCAR’s ‘Enabling Change Project’. Govinda has sent you an update from Mumbai.

"Children with a disability never get an opportunity to come out of their comfort zone and kick the ball or to play any sports, the lockdown is making this more difficult. OSCAR is the first organization to introduce sports to them and trying to give them confidence. My team delivers life skill sessions through football and encourages and teaches, confidence, team work, the importance of education, health and hygiene.

We took the initiative to conduct online sessions with our children to keep them engaged and also to make them enjoy. We started sessions thrice in a week. The plan is to continue the online sessions, organise virtual events and expand our project to include more children living with a disability. Please continue your support to give these children a better life. "

OSCAR's founder, Ashok handing out activity kits.

A profoundly deaf but smiling OSCAR beneficiary.

An OSCAR food pack.

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Jan 12, 2021
The growth & uptake of the OSCAR 'Enabling Change' disability programme

By Lucinda Sowerbutts | Head of Operations - OSCAR International

The OSCAR 'Disability Inclusion Project' is aimed at helping children with disabilities participate in football and life skills sessions in a safe environment. The OSCAR Foundation coaches and young leaders deliver specially designed activities and football sessions keeping in mind the individuals specific disability. We are very proud this project has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from parents, teachers and children. It has a gender ratio of nearly 40%, which is especially encouraging considering girls with disabilities are at greater risk of being marginalised in society.

During the pandemic, all OSCAR activities have been adapted and modified for effective online delivery. This has been particularly challenging in our work with the 'special schools'. OSCAR works in collaboration and not independently of the school and closure has meant the OSCAR team has taken a very proactive approach to keeping the children engaged.

The funds raised through the GlobalGiving platform have provided the schools, including the Bombay Institute for Deaf and Mutes, with computers to ensure pupils can continue with their online learning. Access to the internet and computers is paramount and limited supply makes beneficiaries disproportionately at risk of dropping out. OSCAR's concern is the difficulty of reengaging children who drop out of education, so a concentrated focus has been on preventing this.

The Disability programme places emphasis on supporting the parents of children living with disabilities, helping them to provide the necessary care to their children who do not conform to societal norms. OSCAR's trained staff continue to work closely with and guide parents, which has seen the programme develop beyond the individual to include the family and local community.

An OSCAR beneficiary is a young boy called, Sufiyan, who is deaf and mute and lives with his mother and two sisters. One sister is also deaf, mute and a slow learner. His mother works as a cook and earns Rs3,000 per month, approx 40USD. Sufiyan loves to play OSCAR football and it is this engagment in sport that has developed his confidence and made his family very proud. Sufiyan has become a role model for his sister, children in his special school and the wider community.

One key young fundraiser for the campaign, Aanya, based in New Jersey USA, is launching a podcast to further support the OSCAR Disability fundraising campaign. In addition the campaign has created a demand for a dedicated OSCAR Child Sponsorship for Children with Disabilities, which is due to be launched in February 2021.

During this unprecendented time OSCAR is particularly proud of all staff and beneficiaries who have shown incredible resilience and ability to adapt to the moving landscape. Lockdown and the closure of schools has provided the management team with time to plan for the future and with the support of GlobalGiving we are confident the programme will continue to go from strength to strength.

We want to show our gratitude and thanks to all our wonderful GlobalGiving donors for their support, which will enable us to reach out to many more children like Sufiyan and to pave the way for a positive, happy and fulfilling journey for many children living with disabilities.

The OSCAR team.

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