On Saturday August 17th the Red Cross of Haryana distributed seven Leveraged Freedom Chairs at the Sirsa Red Cross Community Centre. Held two days after Indian Independence Day, the distribution was part of a longer program on the part of the Red Cross Society to deliver mobility aids in India, thereby allowing persons with disabilities to achieve their own form of independence. The LFC recipients on Saturday were the first in Haryana to receive the LFCs from the Sirsa Red Cross Society, which purchased twenty LFCs for distribution over the coming weeks.
The seven recipients of the first LFCs had never ridden them before, but within a half hour they were propelling themselves confidently around the community center before attending the ceremony. Munshi Ram, pictured below, lives in a village 35 kilometers outside of Sirsa municipality, and marveled at the ease with which he could use the LFC.
Munshi tries out his new LFC in Sirsa.
The distribution of LFCs was made possible by the Honorable Member of Parliament Dr. J. Ashok Tanwar, who purchased the LFCs for the Sirsa Red Cross Society using the MP’s Local Area Development fund. This marks the first occasion where the Indian government purchased LFCs from GRIT. Over the course of our stay in Sirsa we were privileged to meet not only Dr. Tanwar, but also Deputy Commissioner Dr. J Ganesan, Secretary Parduman Kumar, and Programme Coordination Officer Mr. L.D. Chawla from the Sirsa Red Cross Society. GRIT is thrilled to be working with such committed members of India’s government and civil society to meet the goals of the 1995 Persons With Disabilities Act and fulfill the provisions of the Assistance to the Disabled Scheme, ensuring that autonomy for persons with disabilities is a right for all.
This post is brought to you by Trevor Baim who is currently a Business Development Fellow for GRIT based in Delhi, India.
