Guddi reports from Sitamarhi, Bihar. Being a former Kharbar Lahariya reporter, she has been practising journalism for quite some time now and is adept at both print and video reporting. She reports on issues of healthcare and the delivery of government facilities, and also makes videos on issues affecting the women in her community. Apart from her work with VV,…

Guddi Kumari

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When nature calls, he needs to be dragged to the toilet and held, as he finishes the nature's call. His dignity suffers as much as his body, but who will listen to an old, disabled man?

At 55, Ramchandra from Koyli village in Bihar is disabled waist down because of an illness which went untreated due to lack of money. Once an independent man working in farms, today he is at the mercy of others for movement.

He has applied to the local administration under the Mukhya Mantri Samarthya Yojana scheme, to help him with a tricycle to get around. But the pleas have constantly gone unheard, forcing him to sit there and struggle to hold on to his last piece of dignity. Like Ramchandra, nine more disabled elders of the village who need a tricycle to get by, but have been ignored by the local administration.

There are more than 3 crore disabled citizens in India, roughly over 2.5% of the total population as per the 2011 Census. However, this population is almost unseen, unheard and unattended to - by the government and the people. Most of the country's infrastructure has not been built keeping the disabled in mind, the medical care for impoverished disabled people is almost negligent in most places, if not absent altogether.

Help Ramchandra and other elders by sponsoring a tricycle or by calling the Block Development Officer of the block on +91-9431818506

This video was made by a Video Volunteers Community Correspondent Guddi Kumari.

Community Correspondents come from marginalised communities in India and produce videos on unreported stories. These stories are ’news by those who live it.’ They give the hyperlocal context to global human rights and development challenges. See more such videos at www.videovolunteers.org. Take action for a more just global media by sharing their videos and joining in their call for change.