Persons with disabilities and local artisans showcase handmade products in Dimapur, seeking visibility, income and greater independence through entrepreneurship
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DIMAPUR — At the weekly Wednesday bazaar in Naga Shopping Arcade (Supermarket), Dimapur, the usual bustle of shoppers and vendors took on a different character as persons with disabilities (PwDs) and local artisans displayed their work as part of “Sales Day – From Our Hands to Your Home”.
Organised by Prodigals’ Home in collaboration with Pro Rural Nagaland and supported by LIC HFL Sarthak, the event brought together 17 artisans, including a self-help group of PwDs and their caregivers from Aoyimkum.
Their stalls offered an assortment of homemade and handmade products, including pickles, cookies, pastries, indigenous food, beverages, crafts and crochet items.
The organisers said the event aimed to give PwDs an opportunity to earn, build visibility for their work and move towards greater independence.
Yangerjungla, project coordinator-cum-trainer at Prodigals’ Home, said many of the PwDs they work with either run businesses from home or have products to sell but lack an outlet and, in some cases, access to social media.
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“The main objective was to make Sales Day come alive and create visibility for their work,” she said.
Prodigals’ Home works with PwDs through livelihood training, tailoring the training to their interests and abilities. Those already running businesses are supported to strengthen them, while others are trained in areas they are interested in.
The products at the bazaar included baskets, fridge magnets and pickles made by trainees. Products from the organisation’s inclusive training centre, where PwDs receive individualised training, were also put up for sale.
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Yangerjungla said entrepreneurship could be particularly difficult for PwDs because of social attitudes as well as physical and infrastructural barriers.
“The first is mindset, as society has conditioned them into thinking they are incapable. The second is infrastructure, which makes business start-ups even more difficult,” she said.
“It takes time for everybody to understand and develop inclusion. Only 40-50% of people are comfortable talking about it,” she added, saying the organisation hoped to create greater awareness and encourage people to become more inclusive.
Three decades of service
According to K Sani, project director, Prodigals’ Home began in 1991, initially responding to drug and alcohol abuse through a rehabilitation centre, the After Care Centre, which continues to operate.
Over the years, its work expanded to include women, youth and PwDs. The organisation has been working with PwDs since 2007 and currently also works with children, people struggling with substance abuse, and elderly persons above 60 who are not receiving assistance.
Sani said the organisation’s work with PwDs under the current project focuses on those who have the potential to become entrepreneurs as well as those already running businesses.
He added that Wednesday’s event was not intended to be a one-off initiative, with another edition planned after five to six months.
The event also provided participants an opportunity to speak about what independence means to them.
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Alika brought baskets and handicrafts for sale, while Hobson performed songs at the event. Both encouraged people to support and uplift one another and said they would like to see greater understanding and support for PwDs.
Hobson also appealed to drivers to be more aware of PwDs on the road and to exercise patience.
The participants said they also wanted to challenge the perception that PwDs had to remain at home and depend on others. They said they wanted to show that they could work, earn a living and live independently.
At Wednesday’s bazaar, the organisers also acknowledged the Dimapur District Flower Association for helping allocate space for the stalls, which Sani said could have been difficult to secure during the weekly market.
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