LLF Slide Deck PUBLIC
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Transcript of LLF Slide Deck PUBLIC
Our Mission
The Lotus Life Foundation aims to empower the lives of children with disabilities in rural India through medical intervention and education.
Ultimately, our goal is to integrate these children into society and take a strong step towards eradicating the stigma associated with disability in rural
India.
The Situation
Population by Type of Disability
% Increase in Disabled Population by Residence and Gender between 2001-2011
In rural areas of India, 19 million people suffer from disabilities that affect movement, sight, speech, hearing and various other faculties.
These areas maintain an appalling standard of treatment and awareness for those with disabilities. Children with disabilities are sheltered in their homes, as parents fear the social stigma associated with having a child with a mental illness or physical limitation.
In India, the lowest income individuals are between 2 and 20 times less likely to receive treatment for disease and disability than those in high-income quartiles. Lacking access to proper medical treatment in rural areas, children do not have the proper resources to combat fatal diseases and disorders.
Statistics:
• 22% increase in India’s population with disability since 2001 (Census of India 2011) • Spending on care for mental illness is considerably less than $0.25 per person per
per year in developing countries such as India • Disabled Population by Type of Disability:
• In Movement: 20.3% • In Sight: 18.8% • In Speech: 7.5% • In Hearing: 18.9% • Mental Illness: 8.9%
Medical
The organization’s first medical initiative, started in September 2013, was created with the mission to provide access to medical professionals and assistive appliances to help children with disabilities in Himachal Pradesh, India. With this project, we give the child medical resources for rehabilitation as well as create an environment in which the child can thrive.
The majority of the children we treat have disabilities or diseases affecting locomotion, such as Cerebral Palsy and Muscular Dystrophy.
We provide comprehensive treatment programs for children with disabilities in the area. The process of our treatment is as follows:
• Search: A team of doctors, therapists and village volunteers search for children with disabilities in surrounding villages and convince the families of the children to adopt our treatment program.
• Therapy: We transport the child to our medical facility and provide treatment. The treatment we provide largely involves physical therapy as well as providing orthotic treatment for those with locomotion disabilities.
• Sustain: Our team trains the family of the child on how to care for the child, including daily physical therapy exercises to continue the treatment. We also provide training to village volunteers to care for children with disabilities as well as spread knowledge about various disabilities and diseases to villages.
Project: Aid and Assistive Devices for Children with Disabilities Location: Sidhbari, Himachal Pradesh, India Partner: Chinmaya Organization for Rural Development Sidhbari
Medical
Orthotic devices are appliances that are fastened to the body to relieve several conditions as well as provide remedies for symptoms of diseases. They come in several different types, such as Hip-Knee-Ankle-Foot Orthotics (HKAFOS), spinal orthotics, as well as other parts of the body. They provide:
• A stable base for movement and support • A way to minimize the effects of spasticity (rigidity) in the limbs • Reduction of excessive energy use in movement • An increase in a child’s ability to function physically and mentally • Correction of poor skeletal alignment and muscle imbalances • Prevention of muscle deformities
We provide orthotic devices to the majority of our patients. To create a sustainable system to manufacture these devices, we have developed a workshop in our facility in Himachal Pradesh and trained team members to create these devices in house.
Orthotic Treatment
Education
In October 2014, Lotus Life Foundation constructed a school for children with physical and mental disabilities whose parents could not afford to take care of them or had abandoned them. The objective of this project is to make the school a facility where children with disabilities can be sent to not only be taken care of, but to be educated and given medical treatment.
The school is run by volunteer teachers, who provide a practical and vocational education for the children, such as reading Braille for those children who have visual impairment. We provide food, clothing, and shelter for the children enrolled in the school.
We also provide medical treatment to the children through a partnership with the Polio Foundation, a nonprofit hospital located in Gujarat.
Project: School for Children with Disabilities Location: Karanjveri, Gujarat, India Partner: Polio Foundation
Research + Development
The Lotus Life Foundation Research + Development Team was developed at Johns Hopkins University to apply new methodology and technology to treatment for disability in rural developing countries.
The purpose of this project is to develop sustainable manufacturing protocols for assistive devices to be used in rural areas of India. Our objectives for this project are simple. We want to create a simple and cost-efficient method of assembling assistive devices that can then be provided to a local craftsman or manufacturer that can replicate the process. This design should be replicable with materials found locally in rural areas.
We are currently developing a protocol to build walking gait trainers. The therapeutic benefits of gait trainers are improved cognition, muscle development, and proper skeletal growth and bone density. These benefits encompass the treatments for Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, Paraplegia, and similar neuromuscular diseases. They also have the function of mobilizing the patient, aiding their social development and integration. This gait trainer should be able to utilize local resources to be optimized to rural areas, with durable structure and mechanisms. The design must also be adaptable, with adjustable height mechanisms so the device can be used and recycled in between patients.
Project: Sustainable Manufacturing Protocols for Assistive Devices Partners: Kennedy Krieger Institute, United Cerebral Palsy of OC
Feature Campaign
Lotus Life Foundation concluded a successful 3 month crowdfunding campaign in January 2015. The mission was to provide 50 patients in our Aid and Assistive Devices program with advanced wheelchairs and Cerebral Palsy chairs.
The advanced wheelchairs were specially adapted for the rough, uneven ground found in rural villages. Padded with pressure-relieving cushions, the wheelchairs stop the development of potentially fatal pressure sores. They provide increased mobility and postural support.
We raised $5,500 through the campaign, including corporate grants from the Qualcomm Foundation, Sempra Energy, and Capital Group
Campaign: “Putting Rural India in Motion” Crowdfunding Campaign Location: Sidhbari, Himachal Pradesh, India
Future Plans
The Lotus Life Foundation plans to partner with the Samvedna Trust in Uttar Pradesh in order to provide treatment for Cerebral Palsy patients as well as pursue research initiatives into providing better medical care in rural areas of India.
About the Samvedna Trust The Samvedna Trust was created in 2006 for the betterment of children with disabilities, specifically those with Cerebral Palsy. Their resources include a team of therapists, special educators, and orthotic engineers. They also have a fully equipped rehabilitation center along with a center for special education as well as a facility for sensory integration, neuro-developmental therapy, and speech therapy. In the last 10 years their staff has managed the treatment of over 2,200 children.
Our Objective Our plan is to create a program that will give the children medical treatment and an education so they can join the main stream of society. Integrating our system of searching for children with disabilities in rural villages into the Samvedna Trust’s treatment programs, we will be able to provide superior treatment for children in the surrounding rural areas. We will provide comprehensive care in the form of therapy, independent training using assertive devices, home lifestyle-based training, and surgical intervention if needed.
Other objectives include:
• Develop a formal research institute in the area to conduct research studies on Cerebral Palsy in developing areas • Using medical records of each patient, create a system of monitoring progress of patients with various forms of therapy • Creating a network of village volunteers in the surrounding rural areas
Project: Cerebral Palsy Treatment and Research Location: Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India Partner: Samvedna Trust
Information
General Contact:
Media:
www.lotuslifefoundation.org www.facebook.com/lotuslifefoundation
Executive Team:
Param Shah Founder and CEO [email protected]
Anand Ahuja Director of Strategy [email protected]
Aditi Ramesh Director of Operations [email protected]
Deena Younan Director of Media Design [email protected]
Jonathan Fu Director of Information [email protected]
