SARITSA FOUNDATION
MISSION “RASHTRA SURAKSHA”
BRIEF ACTIVITIES OF SARITSA FOUNDATION
SARITSA (Security Awareness and Readiness By Information and
Social
Awakenings) is registered NGO.. Its mission is “Rashtra
Suraksha” there by
meaning and sensitizing protection and defending common people
from strikes
of killer manmade and natural disasters by education, training
and
inspiration.
The community elements, which are made partners in this
education, include
students, teachers, and women groups, physically challenged,
visually
impaired, mentally retarded and other categories of disabled
and common
people. SARITSA FOUNDATION has been endeavoring
to generate awareness and
alert people to develop culture of preparedness at individual
level by
conducting educational training workshops, debates, seminars,
mass contact,
family conferences and individual counseling.
SARITSA FOUNDATION provides opportunity and educates and trains
people at
their “Doorsteps” by a team of experts. It is a “Mobile University”.
The
participants and trainees are educated and trained by interactive
/
participatory methodology with practical training including
mock drill and
rehearsal. These “Natural and Man Made Disasters for which
preparedness
education and training is imparted include: Fire,
Terrorism, Bomb Blast,
Earthquake, Tsunamis, Cyclones Floods, Droughts and Water
Scarcity, Social
Violence, Chemical, Biological and Nuclear threats and hazards
of
Environmental degradation.
SARITSA FOUNDATION guides community elements to be equal partners
to save
their lives in disasters and not to be fully dependent on
Governments and
administrations. No doubt that these agencies
do come for the rescue and
relief of common citizens in all situations, yet, quite often
they may not
be able to save common people during the most crucial time
when disasters
strike due to unavoidable reasons.
In this ongoing process of “ Preparedness for Disasters
at individual
level, ” SARITSA FOUNDATION has educated and trained 95000
people including
5000 disabled since its birth on 05 June 2000.
The details are tabulated below:-
Category of participants Maharashtra Gujarat Rajasthan Haryana
Total
Teachers
4500 1250
150 50
5950
Students
41500 27000 4800
1500 74800
women
1500 1120
570 500
3690
Common People
2500 1175
450 500
4625
Visually impaired 2315
1200 nil
nil 3515
Physically challenged 325
1050 nil
nil 1375
Mentally Retarded
70 50
nil nil
120
Total
52710 32845 5970
2550 94075
SARITSA FOUNDATION is also working with a humble beginning
to provide equal
opportunities to blinds, handicapped and mentally retarded
and other
disabled people by equipping them to save their lives in man-made
and
natural disasters by education and training at individual
level. It is a
unique mission first time in the country and it has educated
and trained
5000 disabled people. Some of the names of the institutes
for disabled where
this education and training for preparedness has been conducted
are given
below:-
Ø Kamla Mehta School for blind Girls and women Mumbai
Ø Victoria School for Blinds Mumbai
Ø Industrial Home for Blind Women, Andheri Mumbai
Ø National Association for Blind India, Development of Rehabilitation
Mahalaxmi Mumbai.
Ø The NAB workshop for the Blind (The training center for
Adult Blinds)
Mumbai.
Ø Utthan Talim Kendra for Mentally challenged Boys, Paldi,
Ahmedabad
Ø Blind people Association Vastrapur Ahmedabad
Ø Apang Manav Mandal Vastrapur Ahmedabad
Ø The NAB-IDBI Polytechnic Ambernath.
Ø The NAB-home for Aged Blinds Khandala Pune
Ø NAB-Industrial Home for Blinds Cotton Green Mumbai
Ø NAB-Vocational Training Workshop Prabadhevi
Ø Child Reach School for Mentally Retarded Students Santacruz
Mumbai
Ø The NAB- IDBI Polytechnic Ambernath (26 August 2004)
Ø On Eve of World disability week Special Training and
Education Program
was conducted at Victoria Memorial School for Visually impaired,
Tardeo
Mumbai. On this Occasion four different blind schools participants
were
trained together.
Ø Home for Aged and Handicapped-Untkhana Nagpur
Ø Blind Relief Association –Nagpur
Ø Spastic Society of India Colaba Mumbai
Ø Government home for Handicapped, Pension Pura Vadodara
Ø Government home for Blinds, Pension Pura Vadodara
Ø Industrial home for Blind Women, Andheri Mumbai
Ø Fellowship of Physically Handicapped Haji Ali Mumbai
Ø Pune School and Home for Blind Girls Kothrud Pune
Ø Sevatirth center for physically handicapped and mentally
retarded,
Vadodara.
Ø Government Hospital and center for mentally sick people,
Vadodara.
SARITSA FOUNDATION has conducted education training workshop
for visually
impaired and physically challenged people from 6 July to 9
July 2005.
Names of institutes and number of participants are given below:-
Sr No. INSTITUTION PARTICIPATION DETAILS Students Teachers
Others Total
1 P.R.Lunked Blind School Pune(BHOSARI) 100 10 12 122
2 Jagruti Andha Kanyashala Pune (ALANDI) 105 10 12 127
3 Pune Blind School & Home Pune (KOREGAON PARK) 142 13
11 166
4 Pune Blind Man’s Training Institutes Pune(RAM TAKDI) 103
12 10 125
SUB TOTAL FOR INSTITUTION MENTAL FOR VISUALLY CHALLENGED 450
45 45 540
5 Apang Kalyankari Kendra Pune (WANVADI) 255 14 15 284
GRAND TOTAL 705 59 60 824
A news items given by Times of India (Pune) is also given
below:-
THE TIMES OF INDIA Pune, Saturday, July 9, 2005
www.timesofindia.com
Self- help for those most in need
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Pune : A physically challenged or a visually impaired person
is often
dependent on others, especially during a disaster- but that
may not be the
case any longer. A Mumbai-based non-governmental organization
recently
organized a three-day workshop in the city to train 700 such
people to deal
with emergencies.
“Such victims of disasters can do a lot on their own to save
their own lives
before external assistance can reach them,” said Colonel (retd)
N.M. Verma,
chairman of Security awareness and readiness through information,
training
and social awakening (Saritsa).
“ If a physically challenged person lives in a flood-prone
area, he / she
should always keep a tyre in the house that can be used to
avoid drowning,”
he noted.
“ Through this workshop, we have offered a comprehensive programme,
when the
physically challenged and visually impaired are taught security
awareness
and self protection techniques in various disasters scenarios,”
he added.
The disaster situations covered in the workshop were fire,
tsunami,
earthquake and floods, manmade disasters like bomb blast or
terrorists
attacks, nuclear, biological and chemical wars and environmental
protection.
The participants went through five sessions of lectures accompanied
by
models, practical, rehearsals and mock tests.
For Deepak Kuwar, a visually impaired student at the Poona
blind men’s
Association technical training institute, the workshop has
been a very good
learning experience. “ We got to know so many aspects of disasters
management that will be useful for us all our lives,” he said.
“ The workshop also thought some important precautionary measures-
like one
should turn of the valve of the gas cylinder added Seema Salve,
another
visually challenged participant.
“The practical sessions made it easier for us to feel and
understand the
prevention techniques that were taught in the workshops,”
said Kanchan
Pawar. Saritsa has also prepared books in Braille, Marathi,
Gujarati, Hindi
and English on preventive measures during disasters.
Thanking You
With warm regards
Colonel N M Verma, Chairman
Saritsa Foundation
saritsa@vsnl.net
