Founded in 1988 by a group of disability workers, SANCHAR is a non-governmental organization working directly with People with disabilities as partners, for their social and economic development and to ensure their human rights. Through various programmes with Persons with Disability, their families, Panchayati Raj Institutions and other organization, SANCHAR aims to build capacity and promote inclusion of PWD in the society to enable them to live a life with equal rights and dignity.

In the 20 years since its inception, SANCHAR has been able to positively impact the lives of many persons with disability through Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) approach. When SANCHAR began its CBR work, there were a handful of organisations working in the field of disability in rural India, even lesser were those following the CBR approach.

In this process, SANCHAR has gained valuable experience which it has been able to share with several other NGOs and Community Based Organisations through a replicable CBR model accepted by donor agencies like CAPART, CBR Forum ( Misereor-Germany ), Stichting Liliane Fonds, Action AID etc.

Nearly 60 partner NGOs in 12 states (Mizoram, Manipur, Meghalaya, Assam, Nagaland, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh) have successfully replicated our model of CBR approach in their field areas. A majority of these organisations started working with persons with disability or including disability in their existing programmes and activities as a cross cutting agenda for the first time, after coming in contact with SANCHAR.

In its own State West Bengal, SANCHAR has been able to build up a mainstreaming disability network of 100 organisations working in varied fields of like child rights, women's rights, mother child health, Self help Group, disaster management and risk reduction, HIV AIDs etc.

At present, SANCHAR works directly with 1500 families in 100 villages in West Bengal and through partner organisations, reaching out to a population of more than 15,000 persons with disabilities, their families and community members.
 

• In 1990, SANCHAR formally registered as a society under the West Bengal Government's Society Registration Act, as SANCHAR A.R.O.D. (A Society for Appropriate Rehabilitation of the Disabled).
   
• Donations to the Society are exempt from Income Tax under section 80-G.
   
• Registered under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 1976, Government of India.
   
• Recognized under the office of the Commissioner for Persons with disabilities, Directorate of Social Welfare, Government of West Bengal, under the Persons with Disabilities Act, Government of India, 1995.
   
• One of the four facilitation / training Centres in India for Disability Action Division of CAPART (Council for Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology under Ministry of Rural Development of Government of India to promote Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) approach.
   
• One of the facilitation / training Centres in India for CBR Forum, Bangalore (Established by MISEREOR, Germany, in 1996, to promote CBR concept) to promote Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) approach.
   
• Training centre for partners of Stichting Liliane Fonds (SLF), Netherlands.
   
• As a member of the State Resource Group (SRG) for the Integrated Education for the Disabled (IED), a component of West Bengal District Primary Education Programme (WBDPEP), SANCHAR worked as a District Level Resource Organisation (DLRO - South 24 pgs) to influence policy and implementation process of the State Education department to ensure Inclusive Education. Supported in the last five years, West Bengal Government's district Education programme with primary schools in rural village for Inclusive education.
    
• Is an active member & currently holds the secretariat of Disability Activists Forum (DAF), a State level platform of NGOs, parents of disabled children and disabled people, working for the speedy implementation of PWD Act, 1995.
   
• Is an active member of various state and national level rights based forum (health, women rights, child rights, human rights etc.) to include disability issues as a cross cutting agenda in all development activities.
   
• Actively developing of "Mainstreaming Disability" network in West Bengal.
   
• In 2004, the Director of SANCHAR received the Ashoka Fellowship Award.
   
• Director SANCHAR is a core committee member of Handicap International's and has been able to leverage SANCHAR's 20 years' experience in including Persons with Disabilities in its national, pan-India Disability Inclusive Disaster and Risk Reduction Programme.
   
• Actively contributed in the inclusion of health issues of women with disability in National Women's Health Rights movement, as a core committee member.
    
• Actively involved in West Bengal State School Examination Board to include PWD Act, 1995, specially lobbying for single language provision for the students with hearing impairment. As a part of DAF, actively collaborating with Parent's group of children with Hearing Impairment advocating the same issue.
    
• SANCHAR collaborates actively and share it's expertise with the Police Department for facilitating the communication problem of police and adult persons with hearing impairment in police custody.
   

THE EXECUTIVE BODY

Dr. Kalyan Shankar Mondol, (President)
83 Newman’s Park, P.O. Pailan
District: 24 Parganas (South), West Bengal

Ms. Tulika Das (Secretary)
Sanchar
A-2/6 Diamond Park, Joka
Kolkata 700104, West Bengal

Mr. Amit Kumar Dasgupta (Treasure)
CINI – Child In Need Institute
Village: Daulatpur, P.O. Pailan
District: 24 Parganas (South), West Bengal

Dr. Samir Narayan Chaudhari (Member)
CINI – Child In Need Institute
Village: Daulatpur, P.O. Pailan
District: 24 Parganas (South), West Bengal

Mr. Raja Menon (Member)
Flat – B, 32 Hazra Road, Kolkata 700029
West Bengal

Mrs. Snigdha Sarkar (Member)
J 374 Baishnabghata, Patuli Housing Project,
Kolkata 700094
West Bengal

Acknowledgements

Ever since we started working, we have been fortunate in getting continuous encouragement and support from a number of organisations and individuals. Accepting that no list can ever be a complete one, we would like to record our thanks to the following.

- MIBLOU
- Dr. Deb Pal & Dr. Thankam
- Dr Kal6yani Menon – Sen
- Arun Sharma & Co
- Ms. Sue Rogers
- Ms. Baldwin
- Dr. hensey
- CBR Forum, Bangalore
- CAPART
- JET AIRWAYS
- SAHARA AIRLINES
- Central School Joka
- South Point High School
- Patha Bhaban
- St. Lawrence (S)
- St. Stephens School
- St. Thomas School for Junior Boys
- St. Thomas School for Senior Boys
- St. Augustine School (Senior)
- St. Teresa School (Senior)
- St. Thomas For Girls (Junior)
- St. Augustine School (Junior)
- Peerless Inn
- Hotel Hindusthan International
- Mr. Guntuku Rajashekhar
- Mrs. Tanya Chatterjee
- CCFC
- Ms. Ishita Das
- Mr. L.J. Fuller
- St. Loyola
- EVTRS
- Goal India
- Action Aid, Calcutta
- Save the Children
- Mount Batten Trust
- Health Link International
- New Kenilworth
- Calcutta Central Ladies Circle 27
- Stichting Liliane Fond
- Friends from Belvedre College(Dublin)