A community-centric model for Persons with Disabilities

Author:
Khyati, Mahasweta & Shinjini

In a world often hurried and disconnected, there are rare moments when we stumble upon places that remind us to breathe and step back. The moment the Rebuild team entered the Sristi Village in Pondicherry, we felt a sense of tranquility.

🏡The Sristi village is an ecosystem where people with intellectual and developmental disabilities from different sections of society live together. Despite the Rebuild team’s inability to speak Tamil, the Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) shared their journeys, family histories, routines, and favorite daily tasks.

Sristi Foundation operates on a community-centric model in which PwDs find a new life and hope to live differently, free from discrimination. It’s a residential village where individuals with disabilities find education, respect, and their “home”. The houses are divided based on ability and interest. Hence, close-knit communities are formed that flourish through shared experiences. 

As we listened to the story of our Partner NGO, we learned how bonding and love helped the PwDs improve, with some even recovering from epilepsy. We left that village, our hearts brimming with these yet-to-be-unveiled narratives.