COMMUNITY BASED REHABILITATION

Disability and poverty form a vicious circle, meaning that people with disabilities are more likely to live in poverty, and poverty makes disability more likely.

Community-based rehabilitation (CBR) a strategy initiated by  WHO, focuses on enhancing the quality of life for people with disabilities and their families; meeting basic needs; and ensuring inclusion and participation. It is a multi-sectoral strategy that empowers persons with disabilities to access health, education, employment, and social services. CBR is implemented through the combined efforts of people with disabilities, their families and communities, and relevant government and other services.

Community Based Inclusive Programmes

MI launched the CBR programme in urban slums in Bangalore in 1999. Over the years, it has extended this programme to the peri-urban settings of Attibele & Jigani and rural setting of Chamarajnagar (Karnataka).

Setting	Location	Coverage
Urban	Bangalore	23 urban slums
Peri-urban	Attibele Hobli, Anekal Taluk, Bangalore Rural District*	44 villages
Jigani Hobli, Anekal Taluk, Bangalore Rural District	110 villages
Rural	Chamarajnagar District	225 villages under 5 hoblies
* Project successfully completed in December 2012

Over the years, MI’s CBR Programme has reached out to well over 6,000 persons with disabilities and their families. It has also raised the awareness among nearly 18,000 people, on disability, development and rehabilitation.

Bangalore

The initial thrust of MI’s CBR activities in Bangalore’s urban slums was on provision of rehabilitation services. Soon, the focus shifted to setting up of Self Help Groups (SHGs), supporting the introduction of income-generation activities relevant to the local community, and ensuring that their children attended school. Currently, the emphasis is on sensitizing the entire community, involving key stakeholders to take collective responsibility for the full participation of people with disabilities in all areas of social life.

Attibele Hobli, Anekal Taluk, Karnataka

CBR Project covering 44 villages initiated in  2008, successfully completed  in December 2012.  The project had encouraged the participation of local persons with disabilities at all levels, leading to changes in the quality of their life, and an exceptionally high level of sustainability of the CBR activities

Jigani, Anekal  Taluk, Karnataka

The CBR Project was initiated in January 2013, covering 110 villages.  

Chamarajnagar District, Karnataka

CBID programme is implemented in 225 villages.  Surveys of Chamrajnagar district classify it as one of the least developed blocks of Karnataka state, with low net education enrolment and significant school drop-out rates.    Education is vital in breaking the cycle of poverty and social discrimination.    The programme addresses to improve the quality of mainstream primary education for all children while working for the inclusion of disabled children to be enrolled in and benefit from a full cycle of primary schooling.  It also support in provision of assistive devices, livelihood opportunities and sanitation programmes