OVERVIEW

 SHE HOPE 

                        society is a non profit, non political, non-government, non-religious

Working in Jammu and Kashmir for down trodden people, disabled and disadvantaged 

People, Women SHG, Artisans,  and  other weaker sections of society. Society is

 a registered (NGO), registered under the Indian Societies Registration Act VI of 1998

 (1941 A.D.)  vide registration No: 3711-S of 2001.Society is   located beside the

 Sindh River in Gandarbal,  a rural district, 28  kms from  Srinagar, the summer

capital of Kashmir  on sonomarg leh National Highway near Wayil Bridge.

She Hope Society is having its main undertaking Viz; Hope Disability Centre  having 

 its  registered office at Wayil Ganderbal and sub centers at Kupwara, Baramulla

 and Bandipor

 

MISSION   “To assist disabled/disadvantaged/Artisans in Jammu &  Kashmir to live independently and with dignity through rehabilitation programmes involving education, health, mobility aids, corrective surgery, fitting of prostheses and orthoses, skills training and employment, business development and micro-loan scheme, awareness-raising advocacy, Trade fairs, exhibitions, formation of Self help Groups,Fedrations,Clusters  and access to human rights”   VISION “To improve status of people with Disabilities  /disadvantaged and artisans (Craft Persons) in Kashmir”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Disability and  She Hope Society...

One in ten children around the world copes with some kind of disability, and many of them live in developing countries. Frequently excluded from family activities and kept out of school, these children don't develop the skills they need to become self-sufficient. As a result, they often grow up to be the poorest members of society."

World Bank, Development News For Kids

 She Hope has established itself as a leading, transparent, innovative NGO that is effectively targeting and uplifting many neglected and poor disabled ersons, in  remote regions of the Kashmir Valley where the number of disabled persons grew rapidly during the   (1991- 2010) of militancy which caused government medical services and trained personnel to retreat back to the city of Srinagar  to avoid exposure to terrorism.  Militancy also caused Kashmiris to socially close up and physically avoid seeking help on dangerous, curfewed roads.

Although no accurate survey has been carried out to determine  the exact number and types of of disabled persons in Kashmir it is estimated that about 20,000 people urgently await basic assessment and  rehabilitation.

In Kashmir, causes of  disability include  cerebral palsy, polio, war injuries, accidents, hearing, speech and sight loss, birth deformities, burns, surgical and medical  errors and mental problems. Due to lack of mobility, poverty, low status in the family, and parental apathy, few disabled youths and children attend any school.

"We don't have any government help over here to rehabilitate disabled children", explains 28-year-old physiotherapist Sami Wani. Social factors such as poverty and prejudice add to the problem.

Hope Centre is located in Wayil, Gandarbal, 25 km from Srinagar on the way to LadHak.  Click here  for a map of the area, and here  for a global zoom into Kashmir, thanks to Google Earth and Webby Talents.
 

And here is the link to the BBC World Challenge site, where The Hope Disability Centre was a finalist in 2008: 

Kupwara Outreach  

In 2007, the Hope Centre began an outreach project in the  Kupwara District; a remote farming district near the Indo-Pakistan border that has had 17 years of militancy and also damage from the 2005 earthquake. This effort was sponsored by the Abilis Foundation , with a generous grant of $15,000.

Progress so far includes:  Assessed 500 disabled persons. Rehabilitated 75 kids and youth. . Provided wheelchairs, crutches, callipers & prostheses  to 60 beneficiaries.. Organised 17 cases for corrective surgery. Provided  special schooling and  regular  physiotherapy. Set up skills’ training of members, supported by a micro-loan scheme 

Our current facilities in Kupwara are rented rooms. Through the generous assistance of the US based organisation A Leg To Stand On, we are currently building a  permanent rehabilitation centre in Kupwara. It will be a sturdy brick and concrete facility of 15 x 11 metres for a very reasonable cost of about $35,000 US, with the land donated to the Society. Once we receive funding for equipment, therapists and staff, we will be able to treat many more of the 1700 disabled persons awaiting help in the Kupwara district. Time is critical, because there are many disabled young people whose bones will fuse if not treated soon, and they will be disabled for life.

Presently society is havning its own centre at kupwara havni bunch of activities available their , Which include rehabilatation, awareness, voccational trainings etc.

Sami Wani had finished his physiotherapy training, and was working at a private clinic inSrinagar. After a while he noticed that of all the children who came for physiotherapy, none were from his area of Kashmir, only 35 km away. Why?  He investigated, and discovered literally hundreds of disabled children in the villages near his parent's home in Wayil. The families were either unaware of any help available in Srinagar, or unable to get there due to physical or economic hurdles.  So at first Sami started bringing in the children from his village to get help. Then he sought help from global NGOs over the internet. Only one organisation responded to his many e-mails: Rob Buchanan of the small NGO MEND: Mobility Needs for the Needs of the Disabled, based in far away New Zealand. Rob came to Kashmir, saw what Sami was trying to do on his own, and decided to help. Rob said he would pay for Sami's salary and a rented office if Sami would quit his job and work on helping the disabled full time. So he did.  That was in 2001.