Not much is available about AMC’s founder Dr. D L N Murti Rao on their website or in their annual reports. The current staff, many of whom did have the opportunity to work with him, shared a few tidbits of how and why he started AMC. In 1960, the need for such a service was highlighted when a parents/family/society brought...

Samarthan Trust for the Disabled has become one of Karnataka's most recognised nonprofits. Some of their awards include - Governor's award for Excellence from the Government of Karnataka, 2002  The India NGO Award, 2006  State Award in recognition of Services to Children, 2007  State Award in recognition of services rendered to persons with disability, 2009  Aryabhatta International Award to...

Of the 100s of lives that Samarthanam has changed, it is the story of Rajani that stands out the most. Rajani Gopal Krishna is the first visually challenged woman to have qualified as a Charted Accountant. While her achievements demonstrate how with determination and perseverance, no obstacle is insurmountable, they also throw light on the impact of Samarthanam. Rajani was...

Mahantesh GK is the man behind Samarthanam. In 1997, with Rs. 45,000 that he received as an M.Phil scholarship, he along with another visually impaired friend co-founded the organization. Himself visually-impaired, his motivation to set up the organization clearly steps from his own personal story. "I was born in the farming village of Sisiri in Belgaum district," he says....

Don’t be deceived by the quiet bungalow in Bangalore’s J P Nagar that houses the Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled’s central office. It’s a hub of activity as you’ll learn as you walk inside. In one room, we saw a bunch of youth at their computers, in another, a troupe of dancers were practicing their routine, and a classroom...

In 2011, two of their students - Akshay Vijay and Hema Subramani - along with the art teacher Dhanaraj Keezhara, attended the Adobe Youth Voices (AYV) Summit 2011 at Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA, USA. AYV is a signature philanthropy program of Adobe Foundation implemented in India by the American India Foundation Trust with a vision to introduce...

The story behind how this organization was setup is as interesting as its educational principles. Setup by Christel DeHaan, it is one of the many schools that falls under the Christel House International network of schools that are present in four continents. The first being in Mexico in 1998, followed by schools in South Africa, Venezuela, USA, Serbia, and,...

  Our visit to the Christel House Foundation was scheduled for a Monday. We decided to leave a little early – so that we could avoid the start-of-the-week traffic. But folks headed to work seemed to have the same idea too! Coupled with the fact that we got our directions wrong, it took us a good three hours to arrive...

With the quality services that Ummeed provides, it is no surprise then to find many of its children living close to regular lives. Of course, this change is seen after many years and only in the cases of those children who follow the treatment seriously - by attending the sessions regularly and implementing the same at home. Because that's...

Dignity Foundation is one of India’s premier NGO’s working for the cause and care of the elderly. It is a one stop solution for senior members of society looking for help or support of various kinds. Their services are aimed at giving the elderly a second go at life – from enabling them to live productively, to fulfilling their...