From reskilling beggars to building a holistic health ecosystem, the top Social Stories this week
This week in SocialStory, we uncovered the stories of enterprises and individuals who have been working over the years to help those in need.
This week SocialStory delved into the stories of few social entrepreneurs who set out on a mission to help those in need.
While Dr Priya Virmani is helping build emotional empowerment in children, former journalist Kamal Narayan Omer is trying to build holistic healthcare through his organisation.
We also shared the story of BHOR (Bhikshook Orientation and Rehabilitation), a mission by Rajasthan Government that aims to rehabilate and reskill beggars.
Braving gender biases, this social entrepreneur set up her own non-profit enterprise to empower children
As a female social entrepreneur, Dr Priya Virmani has been looked down upon by her male peers. However, Priya braved all the roadblocks and doubts, and created a name for herself and is living a life she enjoys- taking care of children through her trust-
(POW).Priya says that the concept of child health and safety is not present in India.
“Most shelter homes provide food, clothing and shelter which keeps a child alive. But to give them a life, you need to address trauma issues, understand their breeding ground, help in their psychological issues, give them opportunities, provide them with extracurricular activities, and create an environment of love, care, dignity, and safety,” Priya explains.
Currently, with over 500 children, POW deals with emotional empowerment of children. The Trust cares for the children, investing and encouraging each child’s individual talents and potential.
How the BHOR Project is rehabilitating beggars and helping them earn a livelihood
It is a dark reality that is visible at virtually every traffic signal, marketplace, and railway platform in the country. In India, begging for handouts and money is a practice that dates back to before medieval times, when it was even considered an acceptable economic activity.
Today, in the absence of federal laws banning begging, 22 states have passed their anti-begging laws. The Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, 1959, which serves as the basis for most of these laws at the State and Union Territory level sentences beggars to three years in jail for the first conviction and 10 years for subsequent convictions.
Despite this, it is believed that there are over 4,13,670 beggars in India with over 25, 853 living in Rajasthan alone, as per the 2011 Census.
The Rajasthan government launched the BHOR (Bhikshook Orientation and Rehabilitation) mission in December 2020 as a pilot project under the Rajasthan Skill and Livelihood Development Corporation (RSLDC).
BHOR is a part of the SANKALP programme of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) in Rajasthan.
Climate crisis demands a relook at our approach
Intense climate-related disasters—floods, cyclones, droughts, and heat waves—have been on the rise worldwide. The rate of climate-induced disasters is doubling every decade, and this has led to an exponential rise in the number of people affected and in need of assistance.
Even though the climate change threat was recognized decades ago (IPCC, 1990), responses have remained weak despite the changing nature of risks. In other words, disaster risk reduction is one of the great challenges of development and the current and past efforts to tackle these issues are insufficient.
Thus, taking a fresh perspective on disaster management is a fruitful starting point for such an effort.
This Delhi-based not-for-profit social impact institution aims to build holistic health ecosystem in India
Healthy existence is central to all human progress and a nation cannot develop with an unhealthy population.
With this philosophy at the core of its existence, the Integrated Health and Wellbeing (IHW) Council, a not-for-profit social impact institution, is working to create multiple pathways and multilateral stakeholder engagements to find innovative and effective approaches towards building a holistic health ecosystem in India.
Kamal Narayan Omer, a former journalist, noticed several loose ends while covering many aspects of public health.
Looking at te inaccessible healthcare to the big gap between coverage and care, and how they severely impact the vulnerable citizens of India, he decided to become a catalyst for change.
“This is the idea and inspiration behind the IHW Council, where our motto is to advocate for affordable, empathetic, and universal healthcare for all, besides working on climate change, which is a burning issue in today’s world. Today, IHW Council is that toddler that has helped me and everyone in this organisation to dream big and do something productive for our society,” says Kamal.
Edited by Teja Lele