India
End stigmatisation and give new hope

Through the caste system, people are excluded from society.

As day labourers,
people from the lower classes often don’t earn enough to live on.

Poorly educated people
often suffer hunger and great hardship in rural regions.

About 15 percent
of the Indian population are considered malnourished.

In India, we cover these areas with aid:

Indien
Stigmatisierungen beenden und neue Hoffnung geben

Through the caste system,
people are excluded from society.

As day labourers,
people from the lower classes often don’t earn enough to live on.

Poorly educated people
often suffer hunger and great hardship in rural regions.

About 15 percent
of the Indian population are considered malnourished.

In India, we cover these areas with aid:

Help for people with disabilities
– A task for society as a whole

Whether sight, hearing, speech or mobility impairments, mental illness, and psychological and other disabilities – disabled people are particularly challenged in everyday life and often require special support. In India, these people have a lobby that has been active for several years. A separate department at the Indian Ministry of Social Justice addresses their concerns. This department wants to integrate people with disabilities more closely into society.

They should be given better opportunities to take part in working and social life to earn their own living and to have a say. They need to be provided with tools and family, teachers and other people assisting and helping them learn how to deal with the limitations appropriately. According to the Ministry, the attitude of Indians also needs to change so that people with disabilities are regarded as full members of society.

This task also calls for the commitment of civil society organisations. wortundtat has found a partner that is involved in this area and whose commitment is shaped by Christian fundamental values. Cooperation has been planned for several years.

Our partners in India

In India, civil society organisations may only accept donations from abroad under certain conditions. Anyone suspected of breaching the strict requirements has been threatened with having their licence cancelled. Not to jeopardize our partners’ good work in India or to trigger costly inspection procedures, we do not mention them and the areas where they work by name. We report on their work as a mere example.

All photos on this page are illustrative only and – unless otherwise shown – are not related to projects.

People with disabilities need support
– especially important in rural areas

Moreover, the problems faced by people with disabilities in India are major ones, especially in rural areas:

  • The issue of inclusion is largely ignored and infrastructure – roads, public buildings, educational institutions and local public transport, etc. – is virtually unprepared.
  • In the still broad social strata, in which the caste system is especially pronounced, disability is regarded as a consequence of divine punishment. This affects both people without and with disabilities alike: Some look down on others and people with limitations have low self-esteem.
Many people with disabilities are on their own in India. Only a few people receive systematic help. wortundtat wants to help change this.

Many people with disabilities are on their own in India. Only a few people receive systematic help. wortundtat wants to help change this.

Mann, der sich auf einem Rollbrett kauernd mit den Händen über die Straße bewegt
Time and time again, visitors encounter people with disabilities on the street in India. But often neither infrastructure nor resources are geared to the needs of such people.

The spotlight is on women and children with disabilities
– making inclusion possible

With our new partner, wortundtat is committed to ensuring that people with disabilities – especially women and children – are aware and exercise their rights in a state of India and subsequently lead a more self-determined life. They could learn skills within the project that would enable them to pursue a job. With income, they would be able to earn their own living or contribute to that of their family.
In addition, people are provided with tools that make learning and taking part in life easier for them or even enabling them to do this for the first time. Help may be a wheelchair, glasses, a hearing aid or any other kind of help. The underlying idea: if entry barriers into society are overcome using appropriate tools, people with disabilities will have the same opportunities as people who are not so limited.
Time and time again, visitors encounter people with disabilities on the street in India. But often neither infrastructure nor resources are geared to the needs of such people.

Time and time again, visitors encounter people with disabilities on the street in India. But often neither infrastructure nor resources are geared to the needs of such people.

At the same time, our partner strives, for example, to strengthen networks of organisations that promote the rights of people with disabilities. It helps parents, teachers and other people, who are often completely overwhelmed, to feel more confident when dealing with people with disabilities. And such work gradually raises society’s awareness of the needs of disabled people and helps to eliminate the stigmatisation associated with people with disabilities.

India – Living with disabilities

Current reports from our projects