For those of you outside of my immediate family, you may wonder - what the hell are you actually doing over there? Well, it's not all hip-shaking dance parties, elephant riding and curry eating... in fact it's not really those things at all (well the dancing may happen alone in my room). My purpose in being here has been to fulfill a volunteer internship position at a local, and highly regarded NGO - KIRAN Society.
KIRAN was started in 1990 by Sister Sangeeta J.K., a nun and professional nurse from Switzerland who arrived in Bangalore, India in 1972. After meeting the founder of another organization focused on disability care in Bangalore, Sister decided to found her own organization here in Varanasi. Disability is a tricky topic here in India. At one time I was told that, due to popular ideas of reincarnation that are saturated in the culture because of local religions, if a child is born with a disability it can be regarded as a sign of poor behavior in past lives. The majority of disabled persons in India are limited to rather undignified lives of begging on the street, or even in the cars of the local trains in Mumbai. The stigma and precedent set by history, coupled with lack of access to resources and opportunities, means it is difficult for persons with disability, who are very much so able in other ways, to lead independent lives as adults. It is around this idea that KIRAN was built. Here we don't say disabled, but differently-able. This idea was born from the fact that every single person on this planet is unique and has his or her own specific and special abilities. Though society may deem these people as being disabled, and therefore unable to lead normal lives, KIRAN has found a way to foster holistic development of individuals born with unique physical and mental aspects.
KIRAN began with a focus in rehabilitation and education, and that focus still remains, though the Society has grown to do so much more. They even provide help in integrating former students into society, helping them to further education, get jobs and even giving them micro-credit loans, at times, and their vocational and skill training departments manufacture hundreds of beautiful handicrafts and food items. It's pretty amazing how much the Society has grown in 25 years! Below is a simple graphic I created while drawing up a new information pamphlet for KIRAN, which shows all of the main departments:
I have been working for KIRAN's Public Relations. This has given me the wonderful opportunity of getting experience different parts of KIRAN. My work has included writing multiple "KIRAN Success" articles, which were translated into German to be printed in KIRAN's Swiss Newsletter. I've also been present at KIRAN events to work as a photographer and so I could post on the Facebook page. Recently I've also begun work on a special anniversary newsletter for the 25 year Silver Jubilee, which will be celebrated October of this year. The final project I'm working on is creating a new products coding system, compiling all of the specs and information for the hundreds of products made here, to create an online direct buy page on our website!
My favorite part of my work here has been when I have gotten to write more narrative based articles about people who have come to KIRAN. Maybe it is the anthropologist in me, but there's nothing like a personal story to really make a point - here the point being what incredible work KIRAN is doing. Above is the photo of a woman who, in my opinion, is on of the most incredible "Success" stories. Gyanda Ganokar (pictured with her mentor) was born with Cerebral Palsy in a smaller district in Uttar Pradesh... though it took her family years to get a real diagnosis and prognosis for her condition. Her family finally ended up in Varanasi, seeking help from an ayurvedic doctor (a vaidya) and eventually ended up at KIRAN. She is now only 22 years old and has accomplished more than pretty much any of my peers back in the US, and me. At this young age, and with innumerable self-identified challenges, Gyanda has earned a Bachelors in Sociology, written her autobiography and is already pursuing a Masters in Social work at Banaras Hindu University - the major university in Varanasi. The amazing thing is that Gyanda is just one of many, many KIRAN students who have charged through and cultivated incredible innate abilities! This bodes well for the hundreds of students currently studying in KIRAN's primary school... I wonder how many more incredible stories will be told about KIRAN students 10 years from now.
Here is Sumeet Das - he's my favorite buddy around KIRAN. Sumeet runs "Sumeet's Tea & Snack Corner" at the KIRAN Centre, keeping everyone well snacked and caffeinated. He has some moderate learning disabilities and entered KIRAN at an advanced age and was thus placed in the Vocational Training Program. During his time here his mother, Sheela, heard that KIRAN was wanting to set up a small tea stand. She took the initiative to start a shop herself and now she and Sumeet work daily at KIRAN, helping to provide for their family. Sumeet is shy at first, but so sweet once he gets comfortable with you. My office window looks out towards the main path through the center and I can see the Tea & Snack Corner from my window. Often, Sumeet will walk up to my window with a big smile telling me, "Chai! Coffee!" to let me know what is on the menu. Whenever I cross paths with him he'll stick his hand out to vigorously shake mine while grinning. He's become a comfort here at KIRAN, where the amount of people coming in and out and working at the centre can be overwhelming.
I recently took interview of families from KIRAN's Outreach unit, which was incredible to see up close. This unit works with families from far off villages to provide holistic treatment - including physiotherapy, medical attention, education, therapy training for parents/family members and even surgery at times. In the photo is Pankash, a special educator who helped to translate all of my discussions with the families currently taking part in the program. Pankash is working with Rishi, a boy of 10 with CP. Rishi has a wicked smart mind, but is a severe case of CP. Prior to his time at KIRAN he could only lay down.. after receiving physical therapy and a modified wheelchair at KIRAN, Rishi can now sit up with support for up to two hours, among other things He has also begun getting education and Pankash has laid out a plan for his family to follow in order to groom him to eventually matriculate into school. What I really find to be incredible about KIRAN is how it searches for each individual's capabilities and works to cultivate those first in order to reach larger goals - like regular schooling and walking. It was this approach that drew me to the Centre and got me interested in volunteering in the first place. Too often problem solving will be narrowly focused, not only in the minds of people providing services, but also in the minds of those accessing them. I've been told that many parents come to KIRAN with only one expectation - that their child will walk. They are so focused on that one goal that they can often completely miss all of the unique abilities their child does have, which must be worked on before a grand goal like walking can be accomplished!
KIRAN doesn't stay focused only in day-to-day aspects of disability care, it is also very active in disability rights and, often, women's rights too. Since women are often primary caregivers, and recently have been given the right to be listed as Head of Household for Ration Cards (basically like India's food stamps - grains, etc. given out by the government to impoverished families), women and disability care are entangled. Above is a photo from KIRAN's event for International Women's Day. KIRAN includes a Community Based Rehabilitation unit, which brings the organization's services to those who cannot come to the centre to access them, organized this incredible event that brought 1500, mostly rural women, together to hear from distinguished speakers from governmental and nonprofit sectors. The speakers captivated the audience, calling for all women to realize their rights and empower themselves to become educated and aware on what they are able to do in order to become empowered and lift themselves and their families up. It was special to be a part of the crowd, and luckily, being in PR, I was able to shift around throughout the event to be in all parts of the event. My favorite part was playing paparazzi during the march attendees and organizers made around the nearby traffic circle, and sitting smack dab in the middle of the crowd as a troupe of actors performed a legend story about the Ganga.
These aspects of KIRAN are only the tip of the iceberg... I've spent 5 months here and still cannot explain with full knowledge all that the Society does, simply because it's doing so much!
I'm not usually one to solicit financial support, but I truly believe in the good KIRAN does and know that donating even a small amount to them can directly make a difference. If anyone reading is interested, visit KIRAN's official website at Kiran Village to learn more. And if you feel compelled to do so, please visit Give India's page on KIRAN, where you can easily make a small one-time donation that will go directly to benefit a child here: KIRAN Give India
*This post does not represent any official opinions of KIRAN Society and is merely a cataloguing of my personal experience here*
KIRAN was started in 1990 by Sister Sangeeta J.K., a nun and professional nurse from Switzerland who arrived in Bangalore, India in 1972. After meeting the founder of another organization focused on disability care in Bangalore, Sister decided to found her own organization here in Varanasi. Disability is a tricky topic here in India. At one time I was told that, due to popular ideas of reincarnation that are saturated in the culture because of local religions, if a child is born with a disability it can be regarded as a sign of poor behavior in past lives. The majority of disabled persons in India are limited to rather undignified lives of begging on the street, or even in the cars of the local trains in Mumbai. The stigma and precedent set by history, coupled with lack of access to resources and opportunities, means it is difficult for persons with disability, who are very much so able in other ways, to lead independent lives as adults. It is around this idea that KIRAN was built. Here we don't say disabled, but differently-able. This idea was born from the fact that every single person on this planet is unique and has his or her own specific and special abilities. Though society may deem these people as being disabled, and therefore unable to lead normal lives, KIRAN has found a way to foster holistic development of individuals born with unique physical and mental aspects.
KIRAN began with a focus in rehabilitation and education, and that focus still remains, though the Society has grown to do so much more. They even provide help in integrating former students into society, helping them to further education, get jobs and even giving them micro-credit loans, at times, and their vocational and skill training departments manufacture hundreds of beautiful handicrafts and food items. It's pretty amazing how much the Society has grown in 25 years! Below is a simple graphic I created while drawing up a new information pamphlet for KIRAN, which shows all of the main departments:
I have been working for KIRAN's Public Relations. This has given me the wonderful opportunity of getting experience different parts of KIRAN. My work has included writing multiple "KIRAN Success" articles, which were translated into German to be printed in KIRAN's Swiss Newsletter. I've also been present at KIRAN events to work as a photographer and so I could post on the Facebook page. Recently I've also begun work on a special anniversary newsletter for the 25 year Silver Jubilee, which will be celebrated October of this year. The final project I'm working on is creating a new products coding system, compiling all of the specs and information for the hundreds of products made here, to create an online direct buy page on our website!
My favorite part of my work here has been when I have gotten to write more narrative based articles about people who have come to KIRAN. Maybe it is the anthropologist in me, but there's nothing like a personal story to really make a point - here the point being what incredible work KIRAN is doing. Above is the photo of a woman who, in my opinion, is on of the most incredible "Success" stories. Gyanda Ganokar (pictured with her mentor) was born with Cerebral Palsy in a smaller district in Uttar Pradesh... though it took her family years to get a real diagnosis and prognosis for her condition. Her family finally ended up in Varanasi, seeking help from an ayurvedic doctor (a vaidya) and eventually ended up at KIRAN. She is now only 22 years old and has accomplished more than pretty much any of my peers back in the US, and me. At this young age, and with innumerable self-identified challenges, Gyanda has earned a Bachelors in Sociology, written her autobiography and is already pursuing a Masters in Social work at Banaras Hindu University - the major university in Varanasi. The amazing thing is that Gyanda is just one of many, many KIRAN students who have charged through and cultivated incredible innate abilities! This bodes well for the hundreds of students currently studying in KIRAN's primary school... I wonder how many more incredible stories will be told about KIRAN students 10 years from now.
Here is Sumeet Das - he's my favorite buddy around KIRAN. Sumeet runs "Sumeet's Tea & Snack Corner" at the KIRAN Centre, keeping everyone well snacked and caffeinated. He has some moderate learning disabilities and entered KIRAN at an advanced age and was thus placed in the Vocational Training Program. During his time here his mother, Sheela, heard that KIRAN was wanting to set up a small tea stand. She took the initiative to start a shop herself and now she and Sumeet work daily at KIRAN, helping to provide for their family. Sumeet is shy at first, but so sweet once he gets comfortable with you. My office window looks out towards the main path through the center and I can see the Tea & Snack Corner from my window. Often, Sumeet will walk up to my window with a big smile telling me, "Chai! Coffee!" to let me know what is on the menu. Whenever I cross paths with him he'll stick his hand out to vigorously shake mine while grinning. He's become a comfort here at KIRAN, where the amount of people coming in and out and working at the centre can be overwhelming.
I recently took interview of families from KIRAN's Outreach unit, which was incredible to see up close. This unit works with families from far off villages to provide holistic treatment - including physiotherapy, medical attention, education, therapy training for parents/family members and even surgery at times. In the photo is Pankash, a special educator who helped to translate all of my discussions with the families currently taking part in the program. Pankash is working with Rishi, a boy of 10 with CP. Rishi has a wicked smart mind, but is a severe case of CP. Prior to his time at KIRAN he could only lay down.. after receiving physical therapy and a modified wheelchair at KIRAN, Rishi can now sit up with support for up to two hours, among other things He has also begun getting education and Pankash has laid out a plan for his family to follow in order to groom him to eventually matriculate into school. What I really find to be incredible about KIRAN is how it searches for each individual's capabilities and works to cultivate those first in order to reach larger goals - like regular schooling and walking. It was this approach that drew me to the Centre and got me interested in volunteering in the first place. Too often problem solving will be narrowly focused, not only in the minds of people providing services, but also in the minds of those accessing them. I've been told that many parents come to KIRAN with only one expectation - that their child will walk. They are so focused on that one goal that they can often completely miss all of the unique abilities their child does have, which must be worked on before a grand goal like walking can be accomplished!
KIRAN doesn't stay focused only in day-to-day aspects of disability care, it is also very active in disability rights and, often, women's rights too. Since women are often primary caregivers, and recently have been given the right to be listed as Head of Household for Ration Cards (basically like India's food stamps - grains, etc. given out by the government to impoverished families), women and disability care are entangled. Above is a photo from KIRAN's event for International Women's Day. KIRAN includes a Community Based Rehabilitation unit, which brings the organization's services to those who cannot come to the centre to access them, organized this incredible event that brought 1500, mostly rural women, together to hear from distinguished speakers from governmental and nonprofit sectors. The speakers captivated the audience, calling for all women to realize their rights and empower themselves to become educated and aware on what they are able to do in order to become empowered and lift themselves and their families up. It was special to be a part of the crowd, and luckily, being in PR, I was able to shift around throughout the event to be in all parts of the event. My favorite part was playing paparazzi during the march attendees and organizers made around the nearby traffic circle, and sitting smack dab in the middle of the crowd as a troupe of actors performed a legend story about the Ganga.
These aspects of KIRAN are only the tip of the iceberg... I've spent 5 months here and still cannot explain with full knowledge all that the Society does, simply because it's doing so much!
I'm not usually one to solicit financial support, but I truly believe in the good KIRAN does and know that donating even a small amount to them can directly make a difference. If anyone reading is interested, visit KIRAN's official website at Kiran Village to learn more. And if you feel compelled to do so, please visit Give India's page on KIRAN, where you can easily make a small one-time donation that will go directly to benefit a child here: KIRAN Give India
*This post does not represent any official opinions of KIRAN Society and is merely a cataloguing of my personal experience here*
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