Climate change comes with a lot of disasters.  One of the disasters is floods. It can be deadly for persons with disabilities, who don’t know swimming and have no access to skills and tools to survive. Therefore, Stretch More would like to contribute towards saving the lives of the disabled through swimming and first aid training. As an equitable tool, swimming can also give confidence to the disabled. It’s a sport that helps us stay healthy and fit. For those of us with disabilities and who don’t have much opportunities to move around, swimming can be existential.

In collaboration with the kanthari organization, We would like to conduct a 15-day training on swimming. Why swimming? Because it will help the disabled to survive without waiting for someone to save them. In fact, they might be able to rescue others, too. We will train 10 disabled – 5 blind and 5 physically disabled. With the help of kanthari, we will have free access to a lake which is ideal for learning swimming. Kanthari is an NGO that trains 25 social change-makers every year and I’m one of them.

How do we do the training?

1.    We will find the disabled interested in swimming

2.    We will train them on how to swim. We call it self-survival. On top of that, how to use survival tools such as using water filters while the floodwater may not be directly drinkable in flood times.

3.    We will also train them on first aid such as how to do CPR, deal with snakebite and usage of first aid kit. We call it helping others to survive.

Selection criteria:

·         An applicant should be 15 years old or above.

·         Should be able to move.

Click on the link to apply: https://forms.gle/3qeTFE4Pqa9DSoRb9

According to UNHCR, there are 82.4 million forcibly displaced persons around the world. Among them there 26.4 million as refugees. Among the forcibly displaced, there are over 10 million disabled. Stretch More is offering financial literacy and opportunities for disabled refugees to explore sources of income. We will focus on those who are going through trauma, disadvantages, and financial difficulties. Our aim is to improve the quality of life through literature, economic growth and dignified life.

Why disabled refugees? Because our fight for disability is not over yet. As disabled, we need to keep fighting for a sustainable future even after a disaster like forced migration. On top of that, we still need to contribute to our families and communities. Therefore, Stretch More will provide a 2-month training on literature for 6 disabled refugees in India. 

We prefer Having literary skills, tools and products that can help us gain royalties from publishers. It will help us and our families economically. The course will take place online. We will have sessions for 3 hours on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays – 90 minutes in the morning and 90 minutes in the evening).

Selection criteria for applicants:
1. An applicant should be 12 years old or above. Exceptions can be considered
on a case by case application. 
2. Should have access to a
computer or a phone and know how to use it. 
3. Able to read and write in any of the following languages: Dari (Persian)
and English.

Stretch More and ssstart are looking for opportunities so that the disabled can explore their potentials in the area of theatre. We would like to promote the representation of the disabled in comedy. There is a lack of participation in Cinema, music, theatre, and overall media. Therefore, we are taking this initiative towards addressing this imbalanced participation. This is our first coordinated step as a reference point from where we can take our findings to a larger impact.
We will select 5 disabled youths, aged 20 and above. For this, we will call for applications. Then, we will shortlist them for auditions and select 5 beneficiaries. They should have good spoken English and willing to attend a 1-month training programme in India. We will provide them with the tools, skills, knowledge, and exposure to perform in front of live audiences and online through different social media platforms. In 1 month, we will have body language, voice modulation and improvisation training. These exercises will help them to own the stage with confidence and self-belief. Also, the audience will get the message that the disabled can bring a smile to everyone’s faces. This will change the perceptions of disabled and non-disabled towards disability.