Divyang Foundation is reaching out to disabled flood victims in Kerala

People in Kerala are yet to come out of the aftermath of floods and heavy rains. Hundreds of people lost their lives and lakhs of people have been left homeless due to nature’s fury. Humanity was seen at its best during the Kerala floods. People from across the globe came together and joined hands to help victims rebuild their lives. Amongst them was Kozhikode based Divyang Foundation!

This NGO was kick-started by Prajith Jaipal and a couple of his friends. Prajith who is a wheelchair user always wanted to do his bit to help his community members. There is no better way than empowering and making them independent! The NGO offers a helping hand to disabled people who are in need of opportunities, entrepreneurship and accessibility. During Kerala floods, Prajith and his team made sure to go to relief camps and look out for disabled people who were in dire need of help.

I had gone to a few relief camps in and around Kozhikode. But the scenes there were OK. People are disheartened that they have lost their homes. I could meet a few disabled people too. Since most of them come from economically backward families, losing everything that they had was shocking for them. Relief camps are not disabled friendly at all. We aim to help rebuild lives of disabled people who were victims of flood fury- Prajith Jaipal, Founder Trustee, Divyang Foundation.

Prajith and his team reached out to two youngsters with muscular dystrophy. These youngsters who are aged 17 and 21 years never had the chance to sleep on a bed due to their poor financial background! Prajith tells that his team managed to get a bed and cot for these two children. That too, in just an hour!

Apart from that, they will be providing regular physiotherapy sessions for them. They can take up a free Ayurveda treatment for a year too! Thanks to efforts of Prajith and his team.

During these tough times, we had many people coming forward to contribute. Apart from my friends, a few local bodies also pooled in money to help disabled people. We got ample support from the government as well. The response has been positive and great. We hope to empower more people in our mission to rebuild Kerala- Prajith Jaipal, Founder Trustee, Divyang Foundation.

Now, they aim to help over 30 families with disabled members. They are even sponsoring wheelchairs to them. Divyang Foundation has already made a final list on what all needs to be supplied to these homes which includes beds, cots and even basic utensils. In a couple of months, they hope to complete their mission in and around the city of Kozhikode.

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