Empowering the Persons with Disability to Earn Livelihood

BACKGROUND

Globally, 1.3 billion people live with some form of disability. Of them, 80% live in developing countries; further, 70% of them live in rural areas. According to the World Bank, 5–8% of India’s population have disabilities. The NSSO estimates that 2.2% of the population is disabled. The NFHS-5 survey (2019–21) found that 4.52% of the population has a disability.

We need to understand that Disability as an identity and entity exists at the intersection of multiple vulnerabilities — social, economic, and gender — with each facet requiring careful consideration when conceptualizing action for Equity. For persons with disabilities (PwD), life in India is like running on an unending obstacle course. What is more unfortunate is that even if a few among them manage to cross those hurdles – discrimination, lack of accessible infrastructure and facilities, and educational and skilling support, to name a few – most falter on yet another track: employment. With an estimated 30 million disabled individuals in India, only around 3.4 million are currently employed across various sectors. Having said that, slowly and steadily things are changing, India is steadily witnessing a growing movement towards inclusivity and recognition of the PwD community in the recent times. With time, major companies in India are making efforts to hire persons with disabilities (PwDs) for customer-facing roles, breaking the barriers that have hindered their employment opportunities.

PROJECT RATIONALE

We, at United Way India along with our ground partner, believe that physical disability is not a barrier to individual growth and success. In the pursuit of fostering inclusivity and equal opportunities, our project endeavors to address the unique challenges faced by Persons with Disabilities (PwD), specifically those with locomotive disabilities, through the lens of skill development and employability.

The proposed project, GARIMA - Empowerment Through Entrepreneurship and Self-Employability, aims to create a supportive ecosystem that encourages economic independence, dismantles discriminatory barriers, and propels individuals towards entrepreneurial success.

Our objective is to secure socio-economic empowerment and facilitate career progression through skill training and placement opportunities, providing sustainable career solutions and promoting self-employment entrepreneurship. We are steadfast in our mission to promote social inclusion and provide equal employment opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (PwD), with the aim of paving the way for a brighter future.

United Way India, along with its ground partner, seeks the support of donors to empower Persons with Disabilities through this proposed project.

GOAL & OBJECTIVES

Goal: Empowering 250 PwD at one center in a period of 9 months in India through enhancing skilling & employability opportunities, especially with Locomotive Disability candidates.

Objectives: This project proposal aims to address this critical gap by empowering PwD individuals in India through entrepreneurship and self-employability initiatives. It aims to bring PwD beneficiaries to mainstream careers through our employability training. Acknowledging the aspirations of the beneficiaries and the key challenges in working towards fulfilling their dreams. Creating an environment for beneficiaries to break through the barriers of inadequate education/socio-economically and physically challenging backgrounds thus opening the possibility of moving to a job yielding a higher income for themselves or a path of being self-made entrepreneurs. Working on a pre-defined action plan oriented towards skill and confidence enhancement enabling them to take the first step towards uplifting their socio-economic status.

PROJECT GEOGRAPHY

Mumbai/Bengaluru/Hyderabad/ Chennai

TIMELINE

09 Months

BENEFICIARIES

a.    DIRECT BENEFICIARIES  250 PwD per year for 9 months

b.    INDIRECT BENEFICIARIES: 1000 indirect beneficiaries.

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