Livelihood for the differently-abled planned

KOCHI: Parivaar, National Confederation of Parents’ Organizations for persons with intellectual disability, autism, cerebral palsy and multiple disabilities, has taken an initiative to develop livelihood opportunities for the disabled. Over years, Parivaar has been encouraging disabled and their families to take up vocational activities like creating homemade products. However, they realised that making these products are not enough and these people need a channel to market them.A member of Parivaar Kerala P B George said, “We realised that the disabled children along with family and friends, have been putting in efforts in making a lot of homemade products like soaps, perfumes, candles etc. However, these products stayed only within the families and could never see the face of the market. Something had to be done.”The initial phase to the marketing of such products was inaugurated by Dominic Presentation MLA in Kochi on Saturday.Under the initial phase, these products will be sold in small numbers to friends and acquaintances of the makers. Once the products gain popularity within the community, they will be marketed in large numbers to big companies.P B George said that the initiative was taken considering the employment opportunities which were being denied to the mentally challenged.“Children who physically challenged, like are blind or deaf, have more opportunities in the private and public sectors. However, the mentally challenged children still lag behind. Setting up a recognised marketing unit wherein these children will get a chance to sell products made by them will imbibe a sense of livelihood and give meaning to their lives,” George  said.According to him, with the government initiated schools and programme implementers showing lack of interest in providing proper vocational training to the students, the opportunities for students in special schools are also going awry.“Parents should give more emphasis on boosting their disabled children and encourage them for livelihood opportunities. Most of the children may not be successful in doing it, but it is worth a try,” George added. Parivaar is set to join Kudumbasree to implement the project on a large scale.