Charity Alliance is a national level Non-Governmental Organization, registered with both Union and State Governments with the main objective of motivating and supporting the unemployed and dependant disabled population of India to come out of their dejected and disappointed conditions and organize themselves into groups (Co-operatives of the disabled) and take up suitable self-employment avenues t
o earn their livelihood through their own efforts based on "self-help" and "mutual help". We were actively associated with the first "Workers Cooperative" of the Blind in Asia, which was organized with a membership of around 150 unemployed blind persons at Vikhroli, Mumbai. The movement spread throughout the country with the help of Maharashtra Rajya Sahakari Sangh, District Cooperative Boards and Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Coop. As a result, over 50 Disabled's Cooperatives having a membership of over 10,000 disabled persons has been established in Maharashtra with several more in other States. These Cooperatives undertake various types of production, servicing and trading activities to provide employment and other welfare services to their disabled members. Over the years, it was realized that if the Disabled's Cooperative Movement has to become successful in our Country, the disabled members of these Cooperatives will be required to be given continuous education, training as well as professional support to prepare them to set up, run and develop more such Cooperative business enterprises. In order to provide continuous training and to assist in arranging necessary infrastructural facilities, finance, marketing and management support to the Disabled's Cooperatives and Industries Charity Alliance was born. The Board of Trustees / Executive Council / Advisory Board of Charity Alliance have well-known personalities like Vice-Chancellors/ Ex-Vice Chancellors of various Universities and Professionals from Industries, various Engineering and Management Institutes and Government Representatives, Philanthropists & Social Workers etc. BASIC GUIDING PRINCIPLES
• A major portion of the able-bodied section of Society still continues to look upon "Handicapped persons" as a "useless", "unproductive and "cursed" part of Society who are suffering for their wrong deeds in their previous lives.
• We, at Charity Alliance, would do everything possible to change the above wrong notion of the people and convert today's Handicapped "Consumers" into "Producers" and "Contributors" of our national income.
• We strongly believe in the fact that the handicapped population of our Country, if properly motivated and supported through the principles of "Self-help" and "Mutual-help" to participate in their own economic development / welfare programs, could become proud contributors of our national income.
• To achieve the above objective, we would do everything possible to motivate, train and assist Handicapped persons to participate in production/servicing/trading activities, suited to the "disability" of each individual Handicapped person and thus give them opportunities to bring out their dormant potentials and to decide about their own future through their own "Cooperatives" & "Industries" etc.
• And, we would also undertake all other welfare measures possible in order to ensure "total rehabilitation" of the disabled and their families. CURRENT ACTIVITIES
converting potential into achievement
As a part of its endeavor, CHARITY ALLIANCE runs along with a partner disabled’s enterprise a Training Centre-cum-Workshop at Vikhroli, Mumbai for the blind, deaf, mentally & orthopaedically handicapped. Depending on the type of disability, the members are specially trained and provided employment through various contract jobs like printing & book-binding, tailoring, assembly of mechanical, electrical, electronic & plastic components, packing, finishing and manufacturing various types of Bags, Jewellery Pouches & Boxes, stationery items, Wax candles, Chalk sticks, Paper Bags, Laundry Tags, various Handicraft items and service jobs like cleaning of computers, telephones, fax and photocopier machines and various other jobs. Thereafter, they are shifted to Disabled's Co-operatives wherein they are permanently settled. OUR WORKSHOPS
GODREJ SPARE PARTS PACKING SECTION
Spare parts from various plants of M/s. Blind persons engaged in this activity are perfect and high speed Packers. Their productivity is much more than that of able-bodied persons. JEWELLERY, POUCH, BOX & BAG MAKING SECTION
Jewellery Pouches & Boxes required by Jewellers are made here. Also, we make School & Office Bags, Ladies' Bags, Purses, etc. which are fine examples of the excellent quality of Workmanship maintained by disabled Tailors & Workers. OFFSET PRINTING & BOOK-BINDING SECTIONS
Here, we undertake Offset Printing jobs & manufacture different types of Note Books, Writing Pads, Registers, Diaries, etc. required for Corporate Houses & Educational Institutions, etc. ENVELOPE, PAPER BAG & LAUNDARY TAG MAKING SECTION
In our country, the Mentally Handicapped persons are neglected and are stamped as non-performers. But, the truth is that the Mentally Handicapped boys & girls engaged here, are in fact, trained "Producers" & proud "Contributors" to our National Income. SCREEN PRINTING SECTION
Here, the Deaf & Orthopaedically Handicapped persons do various types of Screen Printing work with excellent quality. Printing of Visiting Cards, Letterheads and Envelopes is undertaken for various Corporate and Business Houses. FILE MAKING SECTION
In this section, we undertake manufacturing of all types of Office Files required by Offices, Companies, Banks, Educational Institutions, etc. HANDICRAFT SECTION
Disabled persons, especially deaf, orthopaedically handicapped and mentally handicapped are best at various artistic jobs. Here, disabled persons do painting of Diwali lamps, etc., beautifully. WAX CANDLE MAKING SECTION
Here, the disabled persons make Wax candles of different shapes and designs in natural color as well as various other colors. CHALK STICK MAKING SECTION
White as well as Colored Chalk-Sticks required by the Educational Institutions are made here. PROJECT UNNATI - the first of its kind in Asia
As its focus area for the next few years, CHARITY ALLIANCE has taken on itself the challenging task of tackling the massive unemployment problem of the disabled in India. In an endeavor to provide complete economic rehabilitation, CHARITY ALLIANCE has recently launched a pioneering initiative called Project "Unnati" to set up a national level Vocational-cum-Management Training Institute in Mumbai/Thane as well as 53 Cooperative Workshops for the disabled across Maharashtra State( i.e. 25 Workshops in Mumbai & Thane Districts and another 28 Workshops in other Districts of Maharashtra) in the next seven years. This network will be replicated in other States in the country on a phased basis in partnership with local NGOs/Institutions. Under the first phase of this project, approximately 65,000 unemployed disabled persons plus 13,000 Women in distress and 6,500 Aged persons & Slow Learners in distress will be provided employment and rehabilitated all over Maharashtra State. Project "Unnati" aims to turn its disabled workers into shareholders, making it a unique "worker-cum-owner" venture. MAIN FEATURES OF PROJECT "UNNATI"
1. This is the first project of its kind in India and probably all over the world.
2. This is probably, the largest single project of its kind being set up anywhere in the world, with provisions to economically rehabilitate and settle atleast 65,000 unemployed disabled persons alongwith 13000 Women in distress and 6500 needy Aged persons & Slow Learners all over Maharashtra state within the next 7 years' period as well as to spread to other States through networking with local NGOs.
3. This project provides a "total rehabilitation programme" for the disabled.
4. It is a unique 3 tier "Co-operative Rehabilitation Programme" for the disabled wherein a "Charitable Association", a "Charitable Company" and a group of "Disabled's Co-operatives" would be working together and supporting each other to create large scale "Co-operative employment/rehabilitational opportunities" for the disabled.
5. In this project, workers are basically shareholders of various Co-operatives where they are required to act in a responsible manner as joint owners of their Co-operative Workshops. In such a scenario, the probability of strikes by workers is almost nil.
6. Another uniqueness of this project would be that Industrialists, Professionals, Social Workers as well as Disabled Workers would all be working together, where they would be interacting and communicating with each other on a regular basis. In such a system, there would be more transparency and consequently mutual faith and respect for each other, leading to greater success of the project.
7. Through this project, maximum profits/benefits would be passed on to the disabled workers in various ways. In other words, success of the project would mean more benefits to the workers, who are also "owners" in the venture. Hence, this system would encourage the disabled workers to work better and be more competitive so as to derive more profits/benefits. TYPES OF ACTIVITIES TO BE UNDERTAKEN THROUGH DISABLED'S COOPERATIVES
I. Industrial Cooperative Workshops to undertake various production activities ( for example : Manufacture of various Stationery items, Readymade Garments, Jewellery Pouches, School & Office Bags, Chalk-sticks, Wax candles, Handicraft items, etc. )
2. Service Cooperatives to undertake various service contracts (for example : Housekeeping & Maintenance jobs, Furniture-Caning & Carpentry jobs, Cleaning of Telephone Equipments, Computers & other Office Equipments, Assembly & Packing jobs & similar Labour jobs )
3. Marketing Cooperatives to undertake marketing of various products & services produced / provided by the disabled and their Cooperatives. They will also undertake various trading activities like purchasing products from other Manufacturers / Dealers and selling to Consumers from various sections of Society
4. Home work Program for the benefit of severely disabled persons who are not mobile enough to come out of their homes & attend some workshop on a regular basis. Under this program, raw materials will be provided at the houses of severely disabled persons & finished goods will be collected back from there. REHABILITATIONAL SERVICES
We also propose to undertake various Educational & Training program as well as Rehabilitation & Welfare Services for the benefit of Disabled persons, Women in distress and Aged persons and Slow learners.
