Navchetan means “ New Awareness” itself leads to what it is It is a new venture in the Indian Organizam expressing the “one Apostolic Body” enteringinto the peripheries , with members from all the four Organizam in collaboration with PIME. Jaipur, the country of Kings. This is the second community in Rajasthan, Rishbdev being the 1st Community.
Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan, a historical and tourist centre a modern and beautiful city, but with ugly edges of peripheries people living in slums congested, unhygenic, unhealthy and unorganised. It is to these slums we have entered with our new mission. The focus is on children disabled mentally and physically. They are unwanted and uncared deprived of human dignity. At times they are left alone closed in the room or tied down to a cot, a prisioner in their own home. Entering in to this mission was a real challenge. A new place, new situation, new culture and new language. But the Providence of God was with us. There was the parish and parishners, they came to our support. It was with the help of catholic nurses we could enter in to the slums. Advised by the nurses the ASHA (Accredited Social and Health Activist in Government) assisted us in visiting the houses of disabled. They do have the list of all the disabled. Thus within a span of three months we could identify 178 disabled person covering four slums. Out of 178 persons we selected our target Group of 60 children below 15 years mentally disabled living in Jawharnagar slum. In the second round of visit we have done the need assessment. Majority of these children were not registered in the family card. They did not had an AADHAR identity card nor the medical certificate and disabled certificate. Based on this information we planned our activities. It has two major parts – Home based care and reference. So far we could accoplish :
1. To assist them to procure all the documents, which give them an identity and enable them to benefit from different schemes meant for them by the Government.
2. Improve the mobility and supply of AIDS and appliants. By referring them to the famous “Jaipur Foot Centre” the children could get wheelchairs and calipers free of cost. So far five children were provided wheelchairs and other seven children received calipers. Two children were given wheelchair and the caliper.
3. Attend to the medical needs: We referred and accompanied the children for medical check up and treatment to the different Government hospitals. Our presence made an easy access to the services.
4. Physiotheraphy : The premise of parsha Home – the office of the elected member was allocated to conduct the camp and the assessment. With the free service of a physiotherapist , the assessment was done for 20 children. He explanied to the mothers about the home exercise and care as preventive measure from worsening the present state. We do plan also to make the assessment by special educator.
5. Provide Home Based care. Visiting the home teaching, the mother and other family members about the care, hygiene, nutrition, timely immunisation etc. The importance is given in making the child self sufficient at least in personal needs like food taking and toilet practice. We do assist them in preventive & therapeutic exercises and follow in use of aids an appiants. Often children refuse to use the calipers due discomfort and pain in the beginning.
Delhi Delegation