Outcome: Vocational
Lebenshilfe’s dreams are getting translated into reality.
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 challenged 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 challenged 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 challenged 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 challenged working independently for Xerox copying activity. Someday this society will recognize and respect the mentally challenged, 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.