Volunteering from the Heart
Priyatharsini is a Volunteer with the Project, Social Inclusion of People with Disabilities in Sri Lanka through Community Based Rehabilitation, and has successfully brought together people and families with disabilities to form a Self-Help Group in Oddaruthakulam, in Mullaitivu after many years.
As the strength of the sun in the northern sky subsides in preparation for the evening, Priyatharsini cycles through her village. She smiles at familiar faces and waves at a young child sitting on a doorstep. She is on the way to a meeting with the Self-Help Group (SHG) of the Oddaruthakulam GN division, in Mullaitivu. When she arrives some of the members are already sitting is Sathya’s garden, the location for this month’s meeting. Sathya had volunteered her house for the meeting this month, a task that rotates among the members. Priyatharsini is pleased more than usual because Sathya had been one the most difficult to convince about the benefits of joining the SHG group. The SHG consists of people with disabilities as well as family members of adults and children with disabilities. The group meets once a month to discuss issues they face, provide mutual support and make plans, and take action to positively enhance their lives and overcome existing obstacles for people with disabilities. In post-war Mullaitivu where established structures such as disabled people’s organizations (DPOs) and SHGs had collapsed during the three-decade war, it is taking time for the structures to re-establish themselves. But with the help of grass-roots organizations such as VOICE Area Federation, they are slowly but surely finding their place and voice
“In 2018, when VOICE launched the implementation of the project, Social Inclusion of People with Disabilities in Sri Lanka through Community Based Rehabilitation in this area, we were looking for a volunteer, preferably someone with a disability or someone who had a family member with a disability says Kelvin Fernando, CBR Project Coordinator for Manthai East Division at VOICE.” But Priyatharsini who was chosen for the Key Informant role was neither. What was apparent however was a deep passion to work with and for those with disabilities. At the time she was part of the women’s rural development society in the village and was already engaged in serving the community. Her existing rapport with the villagers enabled her to gain their confidence and disperse the knowledge she had gained.
Prior to starting work as a volunteer, she received training through VOICE. These included Key Informant Methodology, which focused on how to identify children and adults with disability conditions such as visual and hearing impairments, physical impairments, and epilepsy. She also received training on Community Based Rehabilitation and how to support those with a disability to enhance their lives through building social inclusion and community support for children and people with disability and their families. These training were further supplemented by complementary training and workshops on child protection, leadership, and skills development as well as on entrepreneurship and participatory rural approaches.
Equipped with the trainings and her strong resolve for community development, Priyatharsini worked on establishing the SHG in her village. “One of the most critical tasks was helping villagers understand the purpose and importance of having a SHG group and how much stronger they will be by coming together and supporting each other,” says Priyatharsini. “It took some time but succeeding in forming the SHG group is also my biggest achievement,” she adds. The SHG named Valarnilai which means Growing Point in Tamil has 24 members now. She has been working on bringing together and building the rapport between members and creating an environment in which they can share and learn from each other, support each other, and also take leadership on issues that matter to them. She has also helped them connect with different stakeholders by helping create and strengthen links between the villagers and the Divisional Secretariat, the Social Services Department, health authorities and other relevant government entities.
Equipped with the training and her strong resolve for community development, Priyatharsini worked on establishing the SHG in her village. “One of the most critical tasks was helping villagers understand the purpose and importance of having a SHG group and how much stronger they will be by coming together and supporting each other,” says Priyatharsini. “It took some time but succeeding in forming the SHG group is also my biggest achievement,” she adds. The SHG named Valarnilai which means Growing Point in Tamil has 24 members now. She has been working on bringing together and building the rapport between members and creating an environment in which they can share and learn from each other, support each other, and also take leadership on issues that matter to them. She has also helped them connect with different stakeholders by helping create and strengthen links between the villagers and the Divisional Secretariat, the Social Services Department, health authorities, and other relevant government entities. Yet, there are more challenges to be addressed. She is concerned that there aren’t sufficient service centers to serve people with disabilities.
The lack of services for requirements such as physiotherapy, ENT, and other specialized medical services means that people have to travel a long way. Those in her village have to travel to Jaffna, which is a four-hour journey. Another challenge is improving livelihood opportunities for people with disabilities. So far, the project has also provided educational and vocational support to children and youth with disabilities says Kelvin. He adds “The project is implemented in 15 GN divisions and Priyatharsini’s village, Oddaruthakulam stands out for the way in which she has been able to strengthen and make the group more sustainable.” While Priyatharsini’s afternoons and evenings are consumed by her work with people and children with disabilities, her mornings are spent as a milk collector. She collects milk from villagers who sell milk from their cows and sells the collections to the milk board.
As the evening sky takes on an orange hue, Priyatharsini gets back on her bicycle to cycle back to her own home to prepare dinner for her three children and her husband who by now has returned from work in the paddy field. Tomorrow, another day awaits her. A new day when new change can bring more improvement and a better life for people and children with disabilities.