Japan joins community initiatives in India

Indu Bhan

Last week, the embassy of Japan awarded an assistance of $1,92,531 to three Indian non-governmental organisation (NGOs) to support various projects. The NGOs—Andhra Mahila Sabha (AMS), National Association for Blind (NAB), and Loreto Educational Society— were selected from 200 applicants for Japan’s ‘Grant Assistance for Grassroot Projects’ programme.

The Hyderabad-based AMS, founded in 1982 by Durgabai Deshmukh, wife of an ex-Union finance minister, received an aid of $92,449 for providing improved and better learning environment to the disabled. Through its Durgabai Deshmukh Vocational Training and Rehabilitation Centre for Handicapped, the AMS currently provides training to people in general, including 190 handicapped persons. The centre imparts training in eight vocational courses in book-binding, hand composing, tailoring and embroidery, typewriting, music, computers, electronics, screen printing and offset printing.

Says AMS secretary P Purnachandra Rao: “No formal qualification is required to get admission in these courses. Experts determine the area of interest and aptitude of every child.”

Besides, AMS has set up a special education unit to impart training to the mentally-challenged and the hearing-impaired with the objective of giving them multi-disciplinary exposure from an early age.

The NAB got $7,093 as assistance for its talking library and an audio duplicator. The library records the printed word on to audio cassettes. Till now, NAB has brought out 3,000 books on cassettes for visually impaired students.

The talking library project has helped NAB integrate visually impaired kids with mainstream school children. First, visually impaired children in the 4-14 age group are trained in languages, object perception and orientation. Basics about Braille are also introduced at this stage. In the second stage of integrated education, these children are prepared to join mainstream schools. The association also provides books in Braille and speech software to the inmates in mainstream schools.

Says NAB founder Vidya Batra: “Integrated education brings the blind and sighted students close to each other from an early age, making them aware of each other’s unique potential, besides strengthening the bond of understanding.”

Lucknow’s Loreto Educational Society also received $92,989 for imparting educational and professional training to under-privileged girls. The grant is to be utilised for construction of literary and tailoring centres for slum women to make them economically independent.

According to Japanese ambassador Hiroshi Hirabayashi, the scheme was introduced in 1989 to provide timely help directly to NGOs, research institutions, hospitals and local government bodies in developing countries. Anyone working in the field of primary education and healthcare, poverty alleviation, women, public welfare, and
environment can avail of this assistance.

Depending on the size of the project and the areas being catered to, the grant amount can go up to $1,00,000 per project. he said. Last year, Japan provided approximately $2.1 million for these projects in India. The embassy keeps a close watch on the selected NGOs’ activities and a diplomat keeps visiting them. Moreover, to check misuse of funds, they are also asked to submit interim and audit reports from time to time.