BANGALORE: As you enter the premises of the Association of People with Disability at Jeevanbima Nagar, you are treated to a beautiful garden decked with a variety of flowers. Walk a little further and you find girls nurturing these plants with love and care.Little do they give away their disability. There are 15 physically-challenged girls from various districts in rural Karnataka. Most of them hail from economically poor families. Shantha B is one among them. Shantha hails from Hunagund in Bagalkot district. Prior to joining the horticulture training unit at Jeevanbima Nagar, Shantha used to help her mother to weave sarees. Now, she is honing life skills and learning to grow plants. “I want to learn gardening and get a job to help my mother,” says Shantha, her voice brimming with confidence.The demand for trained personnel in horticulture made the Association of People with Disability (APD) to start the horticulture unit here in 1984. All these years, the training was given only to boys. To facilitate similar training for girls, a separate unit was started at a five-acre campus at Kyalasanahalli. “We have started training for girls on a pilot basis. We ensure that they learn lifestyle skills and undergo training in gardening and cooking,” says A Sagaya Mary, the coordinator of the programme.The training is like manna for Kavya, an orphan from Devanur Lakshmisagar village in Tumkur district. Kavya lost her parents and was dependent on her grandmother, a labourer, for survival. Today, she is determined to earn money after completing the training and take care of her grand-mother. “One of the village rehabilitation workers of APD helped me in getting admission into this training unit. I am confident of completing the training successfully and get a job for my livelihood,” says Kavya.The placement officers of APD are also confident of finding suitable jobs for those who complete the 10-month training in gardening and cooking. “Many companies want skilled manpower in horticulture. We have successfully completed placement of all boys, who were trained here. There are many plans, including an idea to form a self-help group for the girls,” says M K Manohar, senior coordinator.During the training, the girls are provided free accommodation and food. A trained teacher imparts culinary skills that include cooking, packaging and preserving. “We also emphasise on the importance of knowing the names of plants and the potential market for such plants. There is a lot of demand for plants from IT companies,” says Mary.The girls wake up at 5.30 am and attend a prayer meeting at 6 am following which a strict schedule is given to them. “We teach them to attend to their needs without expecting any help from us,” explains Mary.As you exit from the garden, you are left with the feeling that these girls are nurturing flower plants expecting their lives too to bloom — with pride and dignity.
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