Annual

Report

2012-13

Braving the rough weather conditions Hope Disability Centre community workers reach their beneficiaries at

their doorsteps to provide physical rehabilitations services

Left:- Hope Disability Centre technician fitting high

knee joint orthosis to a patient at our Physical Rehabilita-

tion Centre in Ganderbal, J&K.

Top:- Our nursing assistant dressing to a child at Hope

Disability Centre’s hostel/post operative unit, in Gan-

derbal. J&K.

Contents

Executive Director’s Preface 02

Organizational Overview (Profile) 03

Acknowledgement 04

Geographical reach in Kashmir 04

Profile (Vision,Mission, Values) 07

A walk to remember (Case Study) 08

Services, activities (PRC) 10

Services, activities (P&O) 11

Services, activities (CBR) 12

Services, activities (HPOCU) 13

Family re-union (A case study) 14

New additions (DRCs B’la, Kup) 16

New additions, HDC enters Bandipora 17

New additions, HDC starts hearing aid clinic 20

World Disability Day 21

Partners, Donors 22

Financials 24

Summary of 2012 25

Dear Supporters,

I am very pleased with our achievements over the past financial year (April 2012- March 2013).

All credit must go to my dedicated staff who carried out their duties to their fullest in volatile a political

situation and harsh weather. Their caring and committed attitude to the job has enabled our organization to

achieve new levels of success.

People with various kinds of disabilities receive specialized treatment and consultation from our qualified

physio and occupational therapists.

I would also like to praise the staff in the workshop who design and fabricate quality prostheses and or-

thoses which mobilize so many amputees. Such is the passion of the staff in this section that they man-

aged to exceed their targets without compromising on the quality of the products they fabricated.

Our hostel and post-operative care unit is working exceptionally well. The staff here continues to provide

surgery patients here a clean, nursing facility so that they go home without any chance of infection.

The Community Based Rehabilitation) ( CBR) team while providing physical rehabilitation services in the

community has helped us to make homes more user-friendly and safer for people with disabilities.

A big part of their work is creating awareness in villages explaining what rehabilitation is to those who

lack education or access to information.

Over the winter our field workers trudged through snow to get to these villages located high up in the hills

to visit the targeted beneficiaries.

Besides planning and monitoring the implementation of many new programmes, our staff has competently

managed all patient flies and accounts, .

To all donors and partners I would like to extend my thanks , for without your support we could not oper-

ate.

I would like to make a special mention of our cooperation with Handicap International and the funding we

have received from the European Commission. Both have played a phenomenal role over the last four

years in the growth of Hope Disability Centre. With their support with managed to expand our quality ser-

vice and geographical area and thereby helped around 5000 people with disabilities.

Credit also goes to the Jammu & Kashmir Government for allowing us to establish District Rehabilitation

Centres (DRCs) in Baramulla and Kupwara, and for their collaboration in several other activities, such as

the identification of people with disabilities.

Once again, to all our team, partners, donors and well-wishers:

Thank you very much for all your contribution.

HDC Executive Director

Sami Wani

Annual Report

2012-2013

2

Hope Disability Centre is a non-profit, non-political, non-government, non-religious organization working in Jammu and Kashmir for people with disabilities. It is the undertaking of the She Hope Society (NGO), registered under the Indi-an Societies Registration Act VI of 1998 (1941 A.D). .

Starting its operation in 2001 in one district of Ganderbal in North Kash-mir, Hope Disability Cen-tre (HDC) today provides rehabilitation services in four major districts (Ganderbal, Kupwara, Baramulla, and Bandipo-ra).

So far HDC has provided physical rehabilitation services to more than 5000 persons with all types of disabilities including loco-motor, speech and hearing impairment.

We have also joined hands with the government health services by situating our physiotherapy units in the dis-trict Hospitals of Baramulla and Handawara. Here HDC’s staff provides a range of physical rehabilitation ser-vices to patients referred to us by doctors from these hospitals.

The organization was started on a donated land in Wayil by the She Hope Chairman and father of the Execu-tive Director with support from a New Zealand NGO,MEND and funds from the Association of Welfare of Handicapped in Kerala.

Today Hope Disability Centre operates with more than 45 employees.

Hope Disability Centre has time and again been appreciated and acknowledged for its work. The acknowl-

edgement has come from all quarters from doctors to politicians. Here are some testimonies sent by the Minis-

ter for Forests and Environment and the Head of the Department of Orthopedics, SKIMS Medical College and

Hospital, Srinagar.

P-04

Sakina Itoo

P-6

Kupwara

DICC/DRC

Bandipora

DICC/DRC

Baramulla

DICC/DRC

Ganderbal

Head office

Hope Disability Centre operates in four major dis-

tricts of Kashmir, J&K.

With its head office at Wayil Ganderbal, the centre

also provides physical rehabilitation services in Baram-

ulla, Bandipora and Kupwara.

In 2012 Hope Disability Centre started its interven-

tion in district Bandipora with financial support from

its New Zealand donor MEND.

Vision A world where persons with disabilities avail equal rights and opportunities.

Mission

Hope Disability Centre is working to bring positive changes in the lives of persons with disabilities by promoting access to good health care, education, livelihood opportunities and advocate for their rights.

Values

We believe that our partners are most important people. Organization promotes and respect honesty, commitment, integrity, constructive criticism, positive work environment and appreciate efforts of every individual associated with the organization

Areas of Intervention

Institutional and community-based physical rehabilitation for persons with all types of physi-

cal disabilities in different context.

Disability prevention, early identification and corrective surgeries through an efficient referral

system.

Awareness among the public and physically disabled in regards to the rights and entitlements

for people with disabilities.

Working towards inclusiveness of disabled people in social and economic sectors through

skills training and micro-loan schemes.

Sumaira, aged 9, lives in remote village of Zazna in

North Kashmir’s Ganderbal district. She was born with

a congenital defect in her spinal cord commonly known

as Spina –Bifida.

The disability limited her mobility and gave her no con-

trol over her bowel or bladder movement.

Doctors in Srinagar’s leading hospital in Soura operated

on her only 14 days after her birth to prevent further

complications and infection to her spinal cord.

Sumaira’s father Mehrajuddin says Sumaira’s feet were

normal at the time of her birth, however, after the first

operation they started twisting inwards.

At the age of six she underwent one more surgery on the

advice of a surgeon with the hope that the problem may

be solved.

Unfortunately this 8-year old continued to live a bed -

ridden life with both feet twisting and no control over

bowel or bladder.

According to her parents Sumaira is very passionate to

go to school. Her parents did enrolled here in a school,

but she was able to go there for three months only as managing school was cumbersome and expensive for the

family.

“It took one person to carry her to school. Besides, buying diapers was creating a big dent to our meagre fi-

nances. So we stopped her school,” says Sumaira’s mother Misra, who usually uses some worn clothes for dia-

pers which she washes regularly.

“I am a mother. While I am alive I will bear everything. But who will take care of her after I am gone” says

Misra who is helped by her husband as they take Sumaira to toilet at regular intervals.

It was in Jan 2010 when Sumaira’s family heard about Hope Disability Centre (HDC). The family along with

Sumaira came and got her registered and assessed here at HDC. They were advised if Sumaira will undergo a

correctional surgery she will be able to walk and then something could be done regarding her control over

Pic : Inde DorineVan Ophalens

Her parents were reluctant in the beginning but, later

agreed. And on Ist July 2012 Sumaira had corrective

surgery at Jehlum Valley Hospital for her feet (Jess

Fix-ation technique).

Hope Disability Centre (HDC) paid for all the costs

related to her surgery and there staff accompanied Su-

maira’s family during the operation and ensured eve-

rything went smoothly.

A few days later hospital authorities shifted her to

Hope Disability Centre (HDC)’s post operative care

unit.

Here she received proper post operative care which

included nursing and physiotherapy management.

Her family was not charged at all for any services in-

cluding equipment and medicine which Hope Centre

purchased during her surgery.

In the second phase of the treatment on 6th Dec 2012

Sumaira’s fixators were taken off and her feet were

plastered. Once the plaster came off she was given

exercises on her feet and Hope Disability Centre’s

prosthesis and orthoses department made supporting

equipment for her which Sumaira wore for sometime.

With regular exercises and supporting equipment her

feet work better now and she can walk with the support

of a walker.

Now HDC is working to train her to be regular in visit-

ing a toilet and is optimistic she will succeed on this

front too.

Sumaira doesn’t understand all the details about surgery

and post surgery treatments. Only what this little P-9

Pic

: Ind

e D

orin

eVan

Oph

alen

s

Physical rehabilitation Centre (PRC) is the main facility at Hope Disability Centre (HDC).

Activities Initial rehabilitation

assessment,

Counselling,

Physiotherapy,

Occupation therapy,

Training on activities

of daily living,

Care giver training,

Home based pro-

gramme,

Mobility aids,

Outreach services,

Referral to other

medical and rehabili-

tation institutions.

On an average 20 patients visit this unit daily.

As per the census carried out in 2001, there are at least 350,000 people suffering from different types of disabili-

ties out of whom 45,000 were children between the age group of 4 to 14. Some NGOs and sociologists working

for disabled people claim rate has gone up alarmingly. The reasons cited for the high increase in disabilities in-

clude hilly nature of the state, and armed conflict in last two decades.

Poor development of primary health care system, lack of application of tertiary centers to streamline their work

enhanced problems of marginalized disabled people.

To address the issue Hope Disability Centre started :

1) Physical Rehabilitation Centre (PRC); ii) Prosthesis and Orthosis Unit (P&O); iii) Hotel cum Post Operative

Care Unit (HPOCU); Community Base Rehabilitation Centre (CBR).

Physical Rehabilitation Centre (PRC)

P-10

Prosthetic and Orthotic (P&O)

Services 1. Custom-made Prostheses

and Orthoses

2. Artificial Limb Rehabilita-

tion Service

3. Spinal Brace for Scoliosis

4. Pectus Bracing Service

Orthoses

Lower limb orthoses

Toe splint

Insole/arch support

Ankle-foot orthoses

Caliper

Fracture brace

Functional knee brace

Scoliosis brace

Cervical and spinal orthoses

Static and dynamic upper limb orthoses

Other devises

Mobility aids (e.g. power wheelchair)

Postural and seating devices

Rehabilitation adaptation aids

Maintenance and repair services for prosthe-

ses and orthoses are also provided.

Prostheses

Functional and cosmetic upper limb

prosthesis

Functional and cosmetic lower limb

prosthesis

Community Based Rehabilitation Hope Disability Centre also delivers services to disabled people remotely through a strategy

called Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR). This team combines the efforts of disabled

people, their families and communities with appropriate health, education, vocational and

social services. With this approach HDC effectively reaches the largest number of persons

with disabilities, utilizing locally sourced resources from the community and involving disa-

bled persons and their caregivers in the whole rehabilitation process.

Hope Disability Centre’s community workers operate in four districts of Kashmir and coordi-

nate their activities through district information and coordination centres (DICC) in each

district.

Diagnosis and

referral

Awareness-

raising regard-

ing disability

issues

Early interven-

tion and pre-

vention

Distributing

mobility aids

Physiotherapy

Setting up peer

support groups

P-12

Hostel & Post Operative Care Unit (HPOCU) is a new addition to the centre. Established in 2011, the

hostel provides boarding and

lodging facilities to patients

during their rehabilitation care

period at HDC.

Two types of patients usually

avail this facility.

Hostel cum Post Operative Care Unit

Recently operated pa-

tients who require post-

operative rehabilitation

such as physiotherapy

and nursing.

Patients who due to

their long distance can-

not visit the centre daily

tend to stay here for the

a certain period for

which they require reha-

bilitation for.

Sania Arshad

Malla, a five-year-old

girl, was born in a re-

mote village of Sum-

bal in dis-trict Bandi-

pora. She was a twin

child born with some

lump on her face and

club foot disorder.

Seeing this deformity

her paternal family

disowned the new

born. Living in a joint

family Sania’s moth-

er repeatedly pleaded

the her in-laws to al-

low her to get daugh-

ter examined by a

good doctor. But her pleas were rejected and was told that she cannot raise Sania while living in the house.

Sania’s father who is a laborer, left her child and wife suffer, so the mother shifted her new born baby to her

maternal home, where Sania's grandmother took care of her .

Meanwhile, Sania's mother could not resist the temptation of seeing her girl. When she expressed her wish to

do so, she was declared an outlaw and was told, she would not be taken back.

The mother preferred to be with her child rather than staying in her in- laws home. She took Sania to a doctor

who advised her that Sania needs surgery. Considering this poor mother was putting up at her father's place

with no source of income the doctor suggested her to visit Hope Disability Centre (HDC) in Wayil Ganderbal,

Kashmir to seek help in managing this corrective surgery.

“ Doctor told me Hope Centre does organize such kind of surgeries and if I approach them they may be able to

help me in organizing surgery for Sania,” Sania’s mother said.

No sooner did she visited HDC’s office with letter from doctor confirming her claims, HDC management for-

warded her details to its NZ based partner MEND. P-14

Responding immediately MEND

asked HDC to go a head with surgery

and assured they will bear all expens-

es.

Though Sania's father did develop af-

fection for his alienated daughter, as a

simple laborer, but he was reluctant to

challenge his family's decision not to

her back to his own home.

Meanwhile, HDC arranged for the cor-

rective surgery. From equipment need-

ed during the surgery to purchase of

medicine after the surgery, all worries

were taken care of, including Sania’s

transportation expenses .

The centre even called father and coun-

seled him regarding the whole issue

which paid off. No sooner, did the hos-

pital referred Sania to HDC for post

operative care in HDC’s Hostel cum

Post Operative Care Unit, Sania’s fa-

ther showed up.

Sitting besides his recently operated

daughter. the father apologized to his

wife and pledged that he will never

give up on either of the two. The exu-

berant mother and daughter expressed

joy to see this changed man. Sania’s

mother was grateful to MEND and

HDC for making this surgery possible

and for her family’s reunion.

Hope Disability Centre joined hands with partner Handicap International and MEND to start some new pro-

jects, which included opening of District Rehabilitation Centres (DRCs), Intervention in Bandipora and open-

ing hearing clinic.

Hope Disability Centre (HDC) collaborated with

its partner Handicap International to open two

District Rehabilitation Centres in government

district hospitals of Baramulla and Kupwara .

The centres were opened once receiving permission from the State’s Health department who appreciated the

move by providing Hope Centre with space in their respective district hospitals and assured us they would pro-

vide any help required in future to run the centers smoothly.

From refurbishment to basic procurement of equipment required for physical rehabilitation, HDC in partner-

ship with Handicap International managed everything on its own.

HDC has also staffed its own physiotherapist to provide rehabilitation services to the person with disability

and those from the community who need physiotherapy from accidents also.

Opens DRCs in Baramulla, Kupwara

P-16

Pic : Inde DorineVan Ophalens

Pic : Inde DorineVan Ophalens

Pic : Inde DorineVan Ophalens

Bandipora is one of the remoter districts in north

Kashmir.

Most parts in the district remain closed for almost

six months during the winters due to heavy snow-

fall leaving residents without medical services.

According to 2001 census report, the district has

seen rise in disability- related cases.

The report attributed this increase to three decade

old ongoing conflict. The frequent bomb blasts,

mine blasts, cross firing and other related things

were some of the major reasons of physical disabil-

ity related cases. Besides, high rate of illiteracy in

the district was not doing any good to the cause.

With no organization or government institution in

the district working to provide physical rehabilita-

tion, the residents had to travel 45 km to reach to a city hospital to get the treatment.

To address the problem Hope Disability Centre (HDC) in March 2012 opened its one more branch in the dis-

trict.

The project is financially supported by its New Zealand based partner Mobility Equipment for the Needs of the

Disabled (MEND). The centre was started in a rented house with one com-munity facilitator and one commu-

nity worker.

HDC enters Bandipora

Since its inception the Hope Disability Centre staff

has assessed and provided its physical rehabilita-

tion services to more than 234 in Bandipora dis-

trict.

Among these beneficiaries 14 received wheel

chairs, 9 walking sticks, 5 received pair of elbow

crutches each. Besides, 10 pairs of Auxiliary

crutches were also distributed among some.

Some artificial limbs were also distributed among

the beneficiaries whose measurement was taken at

HDC’s main office at Wayil Ganderbal.

The various orthoses including splints, Ankle Foot

orthoses were distributed among the beneficiaries.

P-18

Top pics from left: HDC Community Facilitator Shahid, HDC Community Based Officer Irfan busy in

doing survey in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district to get information regarding the disabled people in

the district.

Bottom pics: Shahid providing physical rehabilitation services to children suffering with disabilities

in Kashmir’s Bandipora district..This project is funded by New Zealand based partner Mobility Equip-

ment for the Needs of the Disabled (MEND).

Ever since Hope

Disability Centre

was started in 2001,

many hearing im-

paired patients have

visited and asked for

help.

Kashmir has only

one government

clinic helping deaf

persons where they

continue to use old

fashioned hearing

aids.

To address the prob-

lem Hope Disability

Centre discussed the

issue with its New

Zealand based partner MEND who suggested to start a hearing clinic. MEND agreed to provide financial sup-

port to this project.

After receiving the first audiometer in 2005 HDC started hearing loss tests and fitting of donated hearing aid,

sourced from NZ, Australia, & Germany.

HDC now has a dedicated audio clinic, where many patients hear for the first time. MEND time and again

keeps on sending HDC the new hearing aids from NZ .

HDC opens Hearing Clinic

P-20

To focus on the issues affecting people with disabilities Hope Disability Centre (HDC) observed International

Day of Persons with Disability at Ganderbal, Kupwara, and Baramulla in Kashmir.

The three different events were organized in collaboration with Department of Education’s Sarva Shiksha Ab-

hiyan (SSA), Department of Social Welfare and Department of Health.

The major function was organized on Saturday 22rd December 2012 at Wayil, Ganderbal and attended by the

State Minister for Forest Environment and Ecology , Mian Altaf, Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal Showkat

Ahmad Mir, District Social Welfare Officer Qazi Irfan, Ganderbal and other senior officials from the Educa-

tion and Health Departments.

More than 350 persons with disabilities and their caregivers participated in the function.

Apart from awareness programs and donation of mobility aids including wheelchairs, crutch-es, walkers, pros-

theses, a painting competition among disabled beneficiaries was also held.

Similar kinds of functions were organized on 7th Dec 2012 at Dak Banglow Baramalla and on 12th December

2012 at DICC Handawara.

Hope Disability Centre continued to thrive in year 2012 with the support from its partners and donors. Some of

the worth mentioning among there are Handicap International (HI), Mobility Equipment for the Needs of the

Disabled (MEND), A Leg To Stand On (ALTSO), Stichting Liliane Fonds (SLF)

Besides, J&K Police and support from our local community enabled us to achieve good results.

Partnership with Handicap International

Handicap International has been Hope Disability Centre’s main partner for past more than three years. The collaboration has been planned and implemented in phases. The main goal for year 2012 were as follow:

To improve the centre’s capacity to provide rehabilitation and referral services to persons with disabilities and those at risk of developing disability.

To develop rehabilitation services for persons with disabilities

offered in government structures, including prevention, identifi-cation, referral and treat- ment.

To increase the govern- ment’s and community stakeholders’ un-

derstanding of the needs, rights and entitlements of persons with disabilities.

Partnership with Mobility Equipment for the Needs of the Disabled (MEND) MEND is one of the first overseas non- governmental organization which joined hands with Hope Disability Centre (HDC) in its endeavor to work in the field of disability in Kashmir. With the help of this New Zealand based INGO, HDC managed to achieve many

mile stones and in 2012, with MEND’s help HDC intervened in the fourth dis-

trict in North Kashmir of Bandipora .

The Director of MEND also gave a green signal to HDC to start a hearing aid clinic at Wayil Gan-

derbal, Kashmir. We expect much expansion in 2013 of this programme .

A Leg To Stand On (ALTSO) (USA) A Leg To Stand On (ALTSO) assists children with disabilities in the developing world by providing free prosthetic limbs, corrective surgeries and rehabilitation. Dorothea Haus Ross supports vulnerable children in general. Together, they have helped finance the construction of our treatment facility cen-tre in Kupwara. In addition, ALTSO has helped by providing funds for some surgeries and rehabilita-tion of children with disabilities.

Abilis (Finland) Abilis supports activities, which contribute to the empowerment of people with disabilities in developing countries through human rights, independent living and economic self-sufficiency. They granted funds to Hope Disability Centre for a project, which provided vocational training for people with disa-bilities, including micro-finances.

Liliane Foundation (Netherlands) The main objective of Liliane Foundation is to help children with disabilities so that they can participate fully in the everyday life of their families and communi-ties. It has been one of our donors for many years, supporting us in the long-term rehabilitation of children with disabilities.

P-23

Activity Target Achieved

New beneficiaries at PRC + DRC

800

1131

Follow-up services (CBR+ PRC) 1600 1328+745

Distribution of aids & applianc-es (PRC,CBR+DRC)

300+100

347+137

Caregivers trained(PRC+ DRC)

400+300

441+249

Referrals elsewhere

200

128

Post-operative care at HPOCU

40

44

Rehabiliation at HPOCU 60

90

Surgical Intervention 40 44

Home Adaptations 30 40

Prostheses 40 40

Orthoses 200 229

Training for

Health ASHAs,

Angawadi Supervisor

60 60

P-24

Annual Report-2012 created and designed by Hope Disability Centre Communication and Development Officer Ishtiyaq Sibtian Joo