Yes, They Can

Niroga goes from strength to strength as members discover new skills and better ways of living

Nethun stands patiently while his father places a pair of spectacles over his eyes. He closes his eyes as the device is placed over his face to fit over the ridge of his nose. When his eyes open, the world looks different. It is no longer blurred. The first things he sees are the faces of his mother and father. It is the first time that he is seeing them so clearly, their features, and smiles. Tears begin to stream down his cheeks.

Such knowledge is helping them to become more aware of their rights and the services available to people with disabilities, says Mr. Ivan, who is the leader of the SHG. Members are better informed about which departments and offices deal with what matters and where and how they can seek assistance for their needs. For instance, SHG members now know about the disability payment issued by the Department of Social Services and how they can obtain theirs. This is a huge relief for families with children and persons with disabilities in our village, he says.

A key highlight for Niroga has been its involvement in promoting and resuscitating the children’s club of the village and ensuring children with disabilities are included in the club. Their involvement has led the SHG to take an unofficial advisory role in the club. Several programs have been conducted with children including educational and cultural programs as well as children’s day and sports programs.

“The SHG is very focused on the economic development of its members,” says Mr. Ivan. In order to assist members in self-employment activities, the group has set up a savings society, which enables members to take small loans for their business and other urgent requirements and repay gradually. Named Niroga Praja Ithurum Samithiya, the society has a membership of 15 at present. “It is working out quite successfully with many members making good use of the facility,” says 70-year-old Mr. Ivan who rears a goat, chickens, and a cow himself in order to gain an income.

Among these members, a group that stands out is six members who are involved in a salt business venture. This group consists of people with disability and their family members, and even a few children who assist in packaging the salt. The salt is purchased from a saltern factory in Karathivu, then cleaned and packed. The packeted salt is sold to shops within their reach. A percentage of the packs are also sold on their behalf by VOICE who takes them to areas that are further away. In a location where salterns are a visible sight, covering part of the stretch on the north-western coastline, this appears to be a well-suited income option.

Serakkuliya is also a fishing area where most residents are engaged in fishing as a vocation. Often wives wait for their husbands to return from the sea to find money to send their children to school, Mr. Ivan says. But the SHG is setting examples through the income earning options that members have started in little ways. It is the combined result of the skills learnt and their own will power. Many of them have learnt a skill through the project. For instance, Lakmali is a wheel chair bound young girl and has learnt to make carpets. Dulani, another young woman is engaged in producing dry fish. Roshan, a young man in the village has begun rearing goats, while Danushka, another young man is currently following a motor mechanic course at a Vocational Training Center. “Things are looking more positive for the new generation,” says Mr. Ivan.