Ability beyond disability!

As many of you will know, weekly educational sessions for those with disabilities has been going on since the beginning of the year in Badowita.  What has been great is that the support that has been provided through the sessions has become much more than education and training for those with disabilities.

Parents are getting involved with the sessions, often staying behind to talk to each other and share their worries and concerns as well as exchanging knowledge and information.  Our physiotherapist has done some great work educating parents about how to encourage their child’s physical development.  Families are being supported with the cost of ensuring their child has access to prompt medical treatment through our revised means-tested allowance system.  Medical treatment is free but even the cost of getting to the hospital was making families think twice before going to see specialists.  Above all, I think we have come a long way in showing families and others in the area that those with disabilities are valued and that they deserve to go to school and play a role in the life of the community.

One  Saturday in May, we did something completely different to the usual Saturday morning activities!  The aim was to ensure that those with disabilities continue to remain an integral part of the activities at the community centre.  As a centre that tries to set an example for the community, we need to ensure a policy of access for all regardless of ethnicity, religion, socio-economic status or disability.

The RCCI teachers who come every Saturday to provide support to those with disabilities organised an activity session with ALL the children at the centre. The idea for this morning was taken from a group of people who have worked in third world countries, often in very rural areas, supporting those with disabilities and enabling them to be a integral part of the communities that they live in.

Learning to express an emotion without talking

The teachers at the RCCI did a number of activities and games to encourage all the children to think about disability, to show that those with disabilities may struggle with some things but might be gifted at other things and vitally to encourage all to play a part in making those with disabilities welcome and accepted at the centre and in their daily lives.

'Engelflip!' Why does no-one understand what teacher Margot is saying?

Ah, she is showing us what it means and now we know that she is asking us to stand up!

Of course, all the children got involved straight away and there was much laughter and fun.  Some parents stayed to watch and it said it all when one of them came up to me and said ‘This has been great, all I want is for my child to be accepted and I can see that today he is.’

What has also been great is that the friendships developed at this session are continuing.  Those arriving early for the Saturday life education programme come and talk and play with their friends who are getting support from the RCCI teachers.  We want to continue with this integration whilst ensuring that those with disabilities also receive education and training in the areas that they need support with.  Watch this space!

Katherine

 

Children playing together at the centre last Saturday

 

Suba aluth awuruddak wewa!

Or Happy New Year!  

Today is the Singhalese and Tamil New Year here, one of the biggest celebrations in the Sri Lankan calendar. It is a time of renewal  and to look forward to the year ahead so what better time to give some news of what has been happening with Asha Trust recently and plans for the future?

A project close to my heart, supporting those with disabilities in Badowita, continues to go from strength to strength.  We currently have 2 very committed ‘lead teachers’ from the RCCI planning and implementing the sessions and they are doing a fabulous job.  Kumar, our recently appointed physiotherapist, has also been doing an excellent a job of making his presence known in the community and as a result we have had more families come forward for support.  

We have also ‘organically’ acquired a parent advocate for the project.  She is the mother of a boy with a learning disability who attends the sessions and has always shown enthusiasm for them but over the last few months has become a valuable asset. She not only reminds all the families in the area about the sessions, she also goes and collects some of the children if parents are busy and also supports the teachers and physiotherapist with outreach visits as she knows the area well.

Aruna with Kumar, the physiotherapist

Outreach visits continue at the sessions on a Saturday for those who are at the moment unable to regularly come to the centre itself.  

One young man who has benefitted hugely from this support is Aruna.  Aruna has cerebral palsy and was confined to his bed most of the day.  He is cared for by his grandmother most of the day, who at 90, is rather frail so is limited in the support she can give him.  The teachers at the centre have been teaching him skills to encourage more independence, the physiotherapist has been helping with his physical development and Aruna is finally managing to show us what he is capable of!  Years spent confined to his bed has meant that most who met him considered he was not capable of anything else but the team who run the disability project are encouraging him to engage with them, make choices about activities that he wants to do, drink and eat independently and to stand up! The progress made has encouraged his family to follow through with educational activities and physiotherapy exercises.   At present we are in the process of planning for some physiotherapy equipment at the centre and once this is in place, the plan is for Aruna to access support at the centre itself. 

Now that sessions run weekly for those with disabilities the next step is to expand to support during the week as well. We also have to be mindful that we don’t want this group of people to be separate from other activities in the community centre and are working to further encourage integration there.

As for the employment training that has been provided for young people, we have recently had our second group of hair and beauty students finish the 3 month course.   11 young women completed the course and we had a celebration in the centre where the trainees were given their certificates.  As usual, this was a lovely occasion and again it was quite clear what a difference this training made to those who participated.  Many at the beginning of the course were planning to work from home once they had completed the course but over half now have decided that they want to work in salons so Cheryl and Maleena, the course leaders are busy supporting them with finding jobs!

The second group of hair and beauty students complete the course!

Finally, Mrs V, who has been unwell for several months following an accident, is back at the centre and slowly getting involved with the activities that take place there.  Those who have visited the centre will know what a key figure she was and we all missed her when she was unwell and are thrilled that she has made a good recovery.  Mrs V is helping with the disability sessions on Saturdays at present and as to be expected, is a great support.

 

Plans for the next few months include sorting out the garden area at the centre, starting computer classes and income generations schemes for unemployed people in the area – exciting times ahead!

Katherine

Some of the children that attend after school classes at the centre with Sister Concepta, Rosemary and Indika

The Hi's and High's (did you see what I did there)

Chamila a happy 'model' having received the full
Hair and Beauty treatment form the trainees 

There have been a host of highlights during my short visit to Colombo.

Meeting the ‘’employment training’ providers and delegates stands out. The second cohort of Hair and Beauty trainees is well on the way. All are loving the course and those I spoke to have grown in there aspirations for the future. The training staff are supportive and clearly go that extra mile in order to expose the trainees to a wide range of skills and opportunities.  It was so encouraging to meet Cheryl the director of the training school.  She is already planning addition modules and courses that would speed these young women to future success

Harpo awarding a certificate to a Hospitality Course delegate

And what perfect timing !! I was able to join the second cohort of the Hospitality training who received their certificates yesterday, comprising 8 young men and 1 woman.  Harpo the CEO of Harpo’s Cafes and Restaurants, Plus Asoka and Neil,  who led on the training werepresent. It was a simple but very happy ceremony.  Of the 9 trainees 5 have work (one in Singapore working in a pastry shop/café) , but on past successes I’m sure the others will be assisted into work soon.  It was encouraging    to hear that ALL 18 of the first cohort are now in work – most but not all in Hospitality field.  Katherine and I bumped into 2 of them at Barefoot café , a very pleasant surprise in a very pleasant café.  One of the lessons we have learnt is that the training , whether Hair & Beauty or Hospitality does a lot more then teach a skill, it opens up a new world for many of these young people, builds confidence and self-esteem enabling them to believe they are worthy of a job. How good it that?!!

. A BIG thanks to Cheryl, Harpo and their teams for all the hard work and dedication to this venture.

AS from Feb 2^nd the session for those with a Disability has gone weekly, an increase from twice a month. The plan is to increase this to 3 days over the next few months. This session is often the only structured stimulation and development that a group of disabled young people receive.  This takes place at the Asha Centre,  plus there is outreach to disabled children and young people in their homes building trust with both the child and the parents. This is a partnership with the RCCI a wonderful organisation that has a day centre caring to over 80 young people every day. 

What other highlights?

A hard day at the office with Katherine

The centre is finished! Although the electricity connection is still taking its own sweet time.  But it was good to see both floors being used. We also have a new teacher Margot she has recently retired as an English teacher from a prestigious school in Colombo. She is clearly very skilled and capable and will be a big support to Sister and the work.

Sri P school looks very smart . Asha provided some addition funds for repairs and decoration, so now the outside of the block and all the primary classrooms are bright and cheery.

There are many more highlights, many aren’t as easy to depict through a photo such as the long and numerous chats and discussions with Katherine our every so wonderful Development worker. The amount of ideas  and plans that have been dreamed and  talked about  could fill a library. If we succeed in putting into practice just a small percentage it would be significant.  Sister Concepta described Katherine as being ‘’like an angel’’ , I’m not going to disagree.

 I also need to thank Dushy at Samutthana, who has hosted the ‘Asha desk’ in their office . Thanks  for being  a great support to Katherine and making the journey so painless.

WE must all do what we can , with what we have’’ FDR

Of course none of this would be possible without the support of ordinary people, living out the words of FDR. Ordinary people mainly in the UK but also the US and other parts of the world, including Sri Lanka. You really are making a difference.

News from Asha Trust in Sri Lanka!

Well it’s been an age since I last wrote.  There has been lots going on but finding a time to write about it has been a challenge!

We are moving forward with the employment training programmes.  The second group for the hospitality training have just finished the ‘classroom‘ part of the course and are starting their work placements this week. We’ve had positive feedback from the students and the tutors so far.  Many of the students have been impressed with the practical nature of the training.  They have been practising silver service, using kitchen order tickets and have even been learning how to tie a tie!  This training should all stand them in good stead when they get to train in a real-life situation.  The hotel school have also negotiated higher training salaries for the students with the hotels so this should hopefully further encourage them to complete the 3 month course.  

  

We are also busy recruiting for the second group to take part in the hair and beauty training and Cheryl and her team are planning to start next Monday.  As before, they will start the training in the Asha Centre in Athidiya but plan to move quite quickly to the training salon in Colombo.  Many of the students who did the course the first time said that they would have preferred to move earlier to the training salon in Colombo.  Of course, it is easy to say this in hindsight and it is important not to forget that many of the young women in the first group were very nervous about coming to Colombo initially.  However, Cheryl and her team have been great at building positive relationships with the young women doing the course so I am confident that they will be able to respond to the needs of the women well and encourage them to make the move to Colombo when they are ready!

Recruitment for these second groups of trainees has been somewhat of a challenge and the training providers and the local teams are considering how we can improve the recruitment process for the future.  Word about the hair and beauty course has certainly got around to young women in the area but this has made it harder to recruit females for the hospitality course as they tend to be more interested in the hair and beauty course.  The hair and beauty course is a better ‘cultural fit’ for many young women and their families as there remains a great deal of concern amongst many families with regards to their daughters working in large hotels and their personal safety being at risk.  Of course, with success stories of past trainees, we can attempt to break down these barriers but this takes time.  Having said that, the one girl who is taking part in the hospitality course is absolutely loving it and is fully supported by her family!

Whilst recruiting for the second hair and beauty course, Sister Concepta and I came across this rather professional bill board on the bridge at the entrance to Athidiya.  Yes, one of the trainees from the first group has set up a salon in the area.  We eagerly went to see her at her home and she advised that her business is slowly building.  She has had lots of customers and employs 2 other women who also completed the course to help her when needed.  

There is lots more to update you all with including the progress with the building of the community centre in Athidiya and increased support for those with disabilities.  However, I will finish here for now and update you with further news next week!

Katherine

Celebration time!

On Monday we celebrated the success of the young women living in Athidiya who have recently completed the 3 month hair and beauty training programme, run by Cheryl of CG Hairdressing and her team.  

It was a lovely occasion at the centre in Athidiya with a welcome speech by Sister Concepta followed by the certificate giving and of course a piece or two of celebratory cake!  Two of the ‘graduates’ also made an impromptu thank you speech and what they said really highlights how successful the training has been.  They talked of how the training had changed their lives for the better and that the support and love that was given to them by the trainers made their confidence increase and realise their self-worth.  They also talked of how they can now see a bright future and realise that there is another way to how they have been living up to now. 

Over half the women who completed the training are looking for a job working in a salon with the help of Cheryl.  Most have been on interviews and some have already secured positions in top salons in Colombo.  The remaining  women are working from home with their new skills. All have already had paying customers!  It will be interesting to speak to the students in the next few months and see how their plans have developed.  Cheryl is also keen to keep in contact with the trainees and support them in the future if they wish.

I think it is no exaggeration when I say that I can see the change in these young people myself.  They are brimming with confidence, have plans for the future and realistic aspirations.  All the women personally thanked Cheryl and her team for the great opportunity and also wanted to pass on their thanks to Asha Trust.  So on behalf of all the women who graduated on Monday thank you to all those who supported this project – you have made a real difference to these women's lives!

Katherine

The women sign to confirm they have received the completion bonus and say a little thank you to Asha!