Sandnya- attempt of integration at all level

When we were in the making of Sandnya Sanwardhan Sanstha i.e. formulating statutory and ethical modalities of the trust, we were discussing many factors and all possible dimensions of the problem of mentally challenged and autistic. It was during the very first few meeting that we thought of social stigma attached to this problem and segregation of mentally challenged. We thought if we as a organization for mentally challenged has to propagate integration, than it should be practiced right from organization it self. This basic thought prompted us to include all non-parents as trustees except one who is the chairman. Thus chairman is the only trustee member of Sandnya Sanwardhan Sansntha who is a parent and all other trustees are non-parent. So whenever we formulate policies for the trust and the action plan, chairman can guide us in a better way as he is a parent also and understands the problem of mentally challenged and their families. And all others as non-parents learn to accommodate and realise the gravity of the situation. This helps us in making decisions which are in the interest of the mentally challenged and their parents. These non-parent trustees thus in turn help in promoting this cause with their social networking and society at large. In all our programmes, thus all trustees help in bringing additional people from the society to come and see and to get first hand knowledge about mentally challenged. This helps us in spreading the message like, mental disability is not the disease but a condition and there is no medicine on it or mental disability does not mean work disability and many other facts about this problem. It is this approach of ours which helps us in not only working in the best interest of the cause and the beneficiary but also gives us a rare distinction of being a NGO in true sense who works with out government aid since last more than seventeen years. Since, as a policy matter we do not take government grant, the only funding source is the donations from philanthropic people and organizations. And if we have to seek donations from people, than we must go to them, talk to them about this mental disability as a problem and show them what we have been doing. In turn people will ask questions regarding mentally challenged and the problem as such and we get an opportunity in spreading the positive massage in this regard. And this process of disseminating the information in turn helps us generating donations and we can function with out financial support from the government. It is this public support in terms of funding which helps us in giving best services and functional and financial transparency in our work culture. Because of this approach of ours we have a very big moral and financial support of people. Sandnya is now considered as a standard in it self as far as morality and welfare of mentally challenged is concerned.

By: Navin Deshpande, Secretary, SSS