Over the last 12 years, AKASA has implemented several projects that help fulfil its mission. The projects can be categorised as follows:
1. Organisation of Self-help Groups or Association Building:
AKASA mobilises persons with disabilities or their family members, to organise themselves into self-help groups. AKASA provides support by training members in organisation skills, facilitating meetings, and networking.
2. Counselling and Empowerment:
AKASA provides counselling to people with disabilities and their family members, encourages positive attitudes, and empowers them with knowledge about their rights and opportunities available for them.
3. Income Generation Support :
AKASA supports the economic empowerment of self-help group members by :
o Training members to start up and develop self-employment/income generation activities.
o Creating and funding a revolving micro-credit system, this is then run by the self-help groups. The micro-credit is given to members to set up or to develop self-employment/income generation activities.
4. Skill Development:
AKASA provides training in activities like painting, basket-weaving, soap and candle making to persons with disabilities, so that they can earn an independent living.
5. Awareness Building and Advocacy:
As part of its mission to create a conducive and friendly environment for persons with disabilities, AKASA conducts programs targeted at stakeholders like Government officials, medical professionals, educationalists, politicians, media professionals, families and the civil society at large. These programmes aim to generate greater awareness about the rights and needs of persons with disabilities especially for women with disabilities. It also aims to build a positive and sensitive view about them and to solicit and encourage support on the fight against discrimination and lastly in its fulfilment of attaining equal rights and opportunities.
AKASA and its Founder/President have been featured in several media articles and programmes, creating an enlightened awareness about people with disabilities. Further, as a member of the National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD), its President is able to highlight issues faced, especially by poor women with disabilities, to the country’s policy makers and administrators. AKASA also uses its membership in various forums for advocacy.
6. Vocational Training Centre, Talawa:
AKASA runs a residential training programme for young women, aged 18 – 35 years, at its Talawa centre. Here, women with mental impairment, mobility impairment, speech impairment and/or hearing impairment are taught tailoring, craft-making and agriculture/horticulture, activities suitable for livelihood and which can be utilized once they are back in their rural homes. The duration of the course is for 24 months. Thereafter, AKASA provides a small grant (usually by means of a sewing machine or a dairy cow) on graduation, to start up the activity at home.
7. Material Assistance:
AKASA has provided assistance for its more economically deprived members in the form of roofing sheets, special toilets for persons with disabilities, assistive devices, etc.
