Access Services - Creating Better Ways To Serve People With Special Needs
Changing Children’s Lives in India
India’s population of 952 million is second only to China, though it is expected to surpass China during the 21st century. Between 5% and 10% of Indians have a disabling condition, giving India an unusually large population of children and adults with special needs. At the policy level, progressive legislation schemes and provisions exist for them. At the ground level, the disabled continue to be neglected and marginalized, with the onus of care on the family rather than the community. We believe India needs to shift from the medical model of intervention to community-based rehabilitation of the disabled.
Children in India also face significant challenges:
- One-third of the world’s poorest children live in India
- 575,000 Indian children are involved in prostitution
- 70 million-plus are child laborers
- 10 million are bonded in labor
(a form of slavery to pay off family debts)
Access Services is currently helping to develop and provide a camping program for children with special needs in an impoverished area of India. The purpose of the camping program is to share God’s love with the children by reaching out to them through fun activities, fellowship and the teaching of basic, vital life skills.
Through our significant experience working with special needs children, we know how to engage, connect with and support them. We’ve had tremendous success with our camping programs in the United States and we can carry the lessons we’ve learned to the situation in India. Our training, onsite support and technical assistance help make the camping program much stronger. Please consider helping us make a lasting difference in the lives of children who are in desperate need of positive change.
Click here to view a video from our 2010 trip to India.