Empowering People with Disabilities (PwD)
Awards in 2023
Gramina Abyuday Seva Samsthe (GASS) works with the aim of empowering communities by providing vital services in the areas of health, education, livelihoods and environment while protecting and caring for the most vulnerable sections like children, women and senior citizens and people with disabilities (PwDs).
Our pursuit of creating sustainable and equitable communities has so far served more than 150,000 people in Karnataka State, India.
Health
(SDG3) Working in Mental Health and community wellbeing has been our forte since inception. From operating PHC and Mobile Health clinics to implementing health screening, tertiary referrals, counselling and provision of medicines we ensure the wellbeing of people in our areas of operation. Our programs work on increasing awareness in communities about general and mental health. Menstrual Health is the recent addition.
Education
(SDG4) We enable young children through education through a full-scale scholarship program that covers students' fees from PUC to Masters while also mainstreaming children through a bridge school project. To enable learning in our areas of operation we have also invested in bettering infrastructure through the creation of school libraries.
Livelihood
(SDGs 1,5,8) Our work on livelihoods focuses on women and PWDs to empower them. Our Skill training program for women encompasses multiple local trade skills that lead to a sustainable income. To enable this further, we have created SHGs facilitate the availability of capital. Through the Manasadhara centre we have ensured safe and sustainable livelihoods for PWDs and women through colour-making and leaf plate-making initiatives.
Protection
(SDGs 2,5) Under the protection domain, we have established systems and infrastructure to support the needs of women, children and people with disabilities. These include managing helplines, and establishing homes for children and seniors alongside short stay homes for victimized women.
Environment
(SDGs 6,7) We have taken up works like lake rejuvenation and tree plantation activities in our operational area alongside creating massive awareness through campaigns against plastic use and promoting sustainable living. We have also created rainwater harvesting units to ensure the availability of groundwater.