Outcome

Siddappa: Pathway to Independent Living

"Tie him up tightening his hands and legs and throw him into Bay of Bengal". This was the advice given by close relations. "Let him die in the sea waters, there ends the matter, strongly supported by kith and kin". Yes, foolishness is bound up in the hearts of my relatives - says Siddhappa's mother.

Saddhappa's mother Lakshmamma, Siddhappa and Sarah founder Lebenshilfe

I do agree that my son Siddappa turned into a greater burden to all of us while we move on for begging from door to door for livelihood. He started growing physically but lacking behind in everything. There was considerable delay in his mile stones of development. I approached medical doctors taking my son to a Govt. Hospital where I was shocked greatly and felt like forcibly thrown from the peak of a mountain into a valley.

I realized that he is of no use and I cannot take care of him in view of our poverty. I am not educated and do not know how to handle this boy. I was told that he was a child with special needs and to be paid personal attention. How come it gets possible? Who helps me in this confused and helpless situation? With this million dollar question slowly I started locking myself in a bleak place. All my thoughts were getting centered on my son but found no way to come out. I slowed down even my profession of begging which caused agony of the other family members and allocating more time for my son. I rejected bluntly to follow their advice. None of them could realize how hard it would be to implement their advice.

My love for him as a mother couldn't allow me to be inhuman to kill this boy. I love him despite his disability i.e. mental retardation. Out of my love and facination to Indian Classical dance, I named him after "Siddhendra Yogi", founder of Indian classical dance Kuchipudi. I know that my son can't walk, can't talk, has no toilet control, no communication, and no ability to comprehend things, unable to follow instructions, fully dependent and needs to be carried for mobility from place to place. Adding to this he often frustrates others with his intolerable behavior, pinching, biting, tearing clothes, pulling hair, pelting stones what not, causing inconvenience and greater hindrance for our vital activity connected with our livelihood.

About Us

We belong to 'PAGATI VESHAGALLU' community. We live on 'BEGGING' and it is our main source for livelihood. We go begging in groups from door to door depicting ourselves as characters of God related to Indian mythology. Lord Rama, Krishna, Hanuman, Shiva & Parvathi etc. are some to quote. We follow some traditions basing on a divine belief. We receive used clothes, rice and other things necessary for living from people in appreciation of our appearance. Day time (PAGALU) is our choice for begging with makeup (VESHAM) and hence we derive that name, 'PAGATI VESHAGALLU'.

What I did and how it helped?

It is in this situation I left my five year old son Siddappa at Lebenshilfe, placing him at the feet of its Founder Saraswathi Devi (Sarah) with no knots tightened to neither his hands nor legs. Her acceptance for admission showed me a way to come out of the bleak place where I was locked myself. Training at Lebenshilfe empowered me and my son and strengthened me to face the challenging situations all by myself.

As a result

Today Siddappa, my son was developed with full potentiality. Lebenshilfe trained him for reality and success, instilling moral values, molding his behavior suitable to fit into the community. Now he walks even faster than people criticized, talk, sing and play musical instruments better than those advised me to put him to death.

He could learn rhythm and started earning his pocket money by playing DOLAK and TABLA (the Indian traditional music instruments), participating in music concerts in public places during local Deity Festivals and receiving recognition and acceptance as a worthy human being. Now girls from our own community are offered for wedding and in near future I am quite confident that he walks into the society together with his wife to lead a normal life like anybody else.

Lebenshilfe: What it means to all of us? Lebenshilfe gave my son a life with a meaning, a life with human respect, a life with human dignity and a life that fits him in the human society. That is why, for us, Lebenshilfe is a TEMPLE and its founder a 'GODDESS'.

Lucky Surya Prakash leading a wedded life, Lebenshilfe's notable achievement

26-year old Botta Surya Prakash is lucky to marry malla Bhavani, a normal person on 12-02-2005. Surya Prakash who is receiving training from Lebenshilfe for the past 19 years is presently attending the sewing section to learn the technique of stitching dresses etc., as part of his vocational activity. Being an arranged marriage he has not faced any problems with regards to his wedding proposal. Bhavani wants to continue her services as a nurse in private nursing home. But the family of Surya Prakash asked Bhavani not to attend her job and restricted her to stay at home only. Surya Prakash says he wants to continue, coming to Lebenshilfe to learn sewing and tailoring work to earn some money to take care of his wife. That is his hope. His wife Bhavani says she has married Surya Prakash, though a mentally retarded out of her willingness. She said, 'Surya Prakash sounds an innocent person and does not know many things as other normal persons in the society. However I married him with a hope that I can train him to obtain considerable change suitable to lead a normal married life.' That is her confidence.

Sarah (Saraswathi Devi) introducing Surya Prakash and his newly wedded wife Bhavani during the press meet.

Picture shows Bhavani expressing her experiences in front of the press during the ACROSS THE PRESS OPEN CROSS TALK SESSION organized at Lebenshilfe. Year 2006 left some unhappiness to Botta Surya Prakash as his son was died at 9th month after birth. Sarah's effort was greatly appreciated as a great humanitarian activity.

Stepping Successfully into the Society, Lebenshilfe's Notable Achievement

1. S. Sai Lakshmi a mentally handicapped turned into a mentally challenged after receiving useful, meaningful and purposeful training from Lebenshilfe for over 20 Years and made her fit to get married and to lead a normal life. She left Lebenshilfe successfully and entered into the society with the same human dignity. Now she turned into a proud mother also. Besides taking care of her baby, Sai Lakshmi is also holding a sense of responsibility in assisting her husband in the provisional shop and her in-laws in the kitchen as well as in other household activities.

Sai Lakshmi, her baby, Saraswathi Devi (Sarah) and Vijaykumar, M.R.

Her brother S. Vijaya Kumar, also a mentally retarded, is still attending Lebenshilfe to receive training to become a useful person. Picture shows Sai Lakshmi newly born Son, her brother S.Vijaya Kumar together with T. Saraswathi Devi, (Sarah) Founder and Project Co-ordinator of Lebenshilfe organization who is the real spirit behind this achievement.

2. R.N.V.N. Murty was married to a physically handicapped girl. Her intellectual abilities are quite normal. She comes from a very poor family and each day meal is a greater problem to her parents. Murthy's father's proposal for wedlock solved the girl's problem for food and the boy's problem for sex-related needs. Murty is as usual attending Lebenshilfe to receive training in the vocational units. Outcome: Success.

Placement in the society after successful training resulting income generation

Outcome: Vocational

Lebenshilfe's dreams are getting translated into reality.

1. For the first time in the history of Lebenshilfe, an income-generated activity, 'PHOTO COPYING'' (Xerox) was started at Regional passport office, Visakhapatnam with the permission of Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India, New Delhi. The untiring efforts of Mrs. Abhilasha Joshi, the then passport officer, convinced the concerned Ministry to start this project. Six people from Lebenshilfe were trained for this purpose and turned into earning members thus leading to mainstreaming. Their sincere work is receiving greater appreciation from the public. They work for no profit but for social integration. Lebenshilfe's income-generation activity is now turned into talk of the town.

News Paper Clipping: Andhra Bhoomi A largely Circulated Regional News Paper of Andhra Pradesh 22 April 2003

Society should welcome Mentally Retarded with love and affection, said Mr. B. Prasada Rao, IPS, police commissioner, Visakhapatnam. He has inaugurated the Xerox copying center on Tuesday in the premises of Sahaayak Counter at Regional Passport office to provide economic strength to the mentally handicapped of Lebenshilfe. While speaking on the occasion after inaugurating the project, he said that it requires a sense of dedication and patience to train the mentally handicapped as normal human beings. Normally mentally retarded are considered as useless people in the society and Lebenshilfe has proved that they can also be trained as useful people, said Mr Prasada Rao, Police Commissioner in all appreciation to Lebenshilfe. Public should utilize the services of military people retired and mentally handicapped serving them in Sahaayak counters in obtaining quick passports. He appealed the public to utilize the services of retired military soldiers and mentally retarded people serving them through Sahaayak Counter without getting cheated in the hands of private agencies. Mrs. Abhilasha Joshi, Regional Passport Officer, said that mentally retarded must be recognized as members of the society. To begin with, she said she has obtained necessary permission for this purpose from Ministry Of External Affairs to start this center. For guiding and assisting the applicants coming passports, a Shaayak Center was started with 4 retired military people, and these people will assist them, she added. Saraswathi Devi, Executive Director of Lebenshilfe said, what she started 23 years ago as a YAGNA, started resulting now by way of 6 mentally handicapped working independently for Xerox copying activity. Someday this society will recognize and respect the mentally handicapped, hopefully she said. I.L.N. Prasad, treasurer, A. Suguna, Principal, N. Sudharani supervisor participated.

2. A. Bangaru Ramu, aged 41 years is placed in a printing press. The bookbinding skills acquired at Lebenshilfe besides social, academic and, money and time management and other skills for over 20 years of training, helped him to accept a job on remuneration basis of rupees 600/ per month and assisting his mother who lost her husband. Though slow and doesn't work using his intellect, he is able to follow the instructions of the shop owner to complete his job.

3. Y. Durga Rao, aged 20 years is placed in a carpentry workshop and working for a daily wage of rupees 20/- per day. As his father is a carpenter by profession, his observational skills helped him to imitate his father's job and paid the same interest in Lebenshilfe to work in the carpentry section. He simultaneously improved in carpentry work as well as getting adjusted with people around him. He was trained to count numbers and comparative value of money. With this training, Durga Rao is working as a carpenter using his semi- learnt skills.

4. N.Suryanarayana, aged 20 years is another person, trained to work in a Cycle Shop at a remuneration of rupees 6oo/- per month. His job is to be in the shop and supply the sold items to the customer. The social skills learnt at Lebenshilfe helped him a lot for his placement in the cycle shop.

5. S.Rambabu, aged 18 years, started working in a small Tea-stall exists by the side of the road and assisting his father doing the same job in the same shop. After receiving considerable training at Lebenshilfe for 16 years, Rambabu is now successfully placed in the tea-stall and paying interest in the given job i.e. washing the tumblers, cups and saucers, etc. which doesn't require any intellectual skills. He receives a remuneration of rupees 10/- per day.

6. P.Syam Kishore, aged 20 years is a person with severe behavior disorders. Lacking emotional control led him to become often aggressive, beating his mother, threatening his father, pelting stones at people trying to advise him etc. He was trained at Lebenshilfe through theatre which helped him a lot for obtaining emotional balance. He is now sent to another town by his father where he is placed in a motor mechanic shed. He receives a remuneration of rupees 500/- per month.

7. Gopal Das Sharma who received training at Lebenshilfe is now placed in his uncles iron shop

8. M.Saibabu was trained in the carpentry section and now he is going to carpentry work together with his father as an assistant. This boy receives a remuneration of rupees. 20/- per day.

Mentally Handicapped as Society Supporters

Socially-appreciated Activities 'We are also part of the society': Services to Rural and Tribal areas: Awareness Creation

1. A team of 25 Staff members of Lebenshilfe together with 7 well trained mentally handicapped people traveled to 6 revenue districts of Andhra Pradesh, presenting a humorous street play �Soodi Mandu, under the stewardship of Saraswathi Devi Tallapragada, to educate the masses against 6 child-killing or child-crippling dangerous diseases POLIO, TUBECULOSIS, PERTUSIS,DIPTHERIA, TETANUS AND MEASLES. It is a mass education, emphasizing on the importance of preventive measures, against disability. Utilizing the limited talents of the retarded they are being taken into the society to bring them into the mainstream of life through theatre. Beneficiaries: over two lakhs of population.

2. The humanitarian activity taken up by the mentally handicapped and their families together with the professionals, collecting used clothes, utensils, candles, match-boxes, bread etc. to help the cyclone victims of the neighboring state �ORISSA' caught the attention of everybody in the city. Mentally retarded went round in the streets with begging bowls and bags in hand, creating a sensation among the crowds which indeed touched every human heart in the city. .

3. A 3-hour cultural show with classical, semi classical and folk dance items, organized by the mentally handicapped of Lebenshilfe at Hampi Open Air Theatre, in Shivaji Park, ( public park belongs to Municipal Corporation) in aid of Gujarat Earth Quake Victims, moved the hearts of one and all in the city. A spontaneous donation of rupees 12, 250/- collected from the audience was handed over by the retarded to District Collector for onward transfer to Chief Minister's fund. This activity proved that retarded are also part of the society and they are prepared to share the happiness as well as grief with the fellow human beings.

A scene from epic Ramayana