Vishwas Vidyalaya, Sector 46, Gurgaon

VISHWAS began in 2005 with a core team of just three people. We worked with the village of Sanp ki Nagli in Sohna block of Gurugram district, Haryana. This is where we learnt our first lessons in converting knowledge to real work on the ground. We organised eye and health camps and worked with the village primary school to accommodate children with special needs. Today, ten years later, we have covered every village and ward of Sohna block, impacting the lives of close to 1900 children and young adults with disabilities.

Our growth began in earnest as we moved into our first modest premises in Sushant Lok, Gurugram, in 2007. This gathered momentum when, in March 2009, we were allotted a vandalised and abandoned school building in Sector 46, Gurugram. This was a huge opportunity to expand several levels beyond where we were, but it was also our biggest challenge. We undertook a massive renovation project and restored the building to a beautiful, fully functioning school and resource centre, with all the infrastructure required for the school to be truly Inclusive.

With the school as a base, the work, reach and area of influence of VISHWAS continues to grow. As our range of activities expands, we continue to develop collaborations with multiple organizations at the state and national level (National Trust, Haryana Education Department, Disabilities Rights Group) to promote inclusion and improve access and employment for the disabled. It has not been a one-way street. We have also learnt a lot in the process from people we have interacted with.

And yes, we have our own stirring anthem : “Keh do andheron se chal pade hain hum” written by lyricist Prasoon Joshi, composed by (late) Aadesh Srivastav and Kailash Kher sang it with our students to a packed Siri Fort Auditorium, Delhi. It is our daily invocation to duty and it fosters confidence in our team.

Our constant desire for improvement encourages a dynamic culture in our organization that challenges us to aim higher to achieve the best for our children and adults in our programmes. Most of them come from deprived backgrounds. We ensure that they are exposed to quality multisensory learning experiences, and we strive to create opportunities for them to explore their skills and talents in arts, music and sports.

Working in an inclusive set-up with a large number of those with special needs requires empathy, passion, professionalism, and a constant commitment to learning. The journey of VISHWAS has just gathered pace. We will strive to take it further and improve along the way.