Mobile Village-Based Rehabilitation Initiative

Solution Pitch

The Problem

For children with disabilities and developmental delays, early intervention therapy can lead to individual empowerment and skill development, while reducing caregiver strain. In rural and marginalized areas like the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, however, lack of access to accurate diagnoses, therapists, facilities, or finances can prevent families from accessing the treatments their children need.

The Solution

The team at Amar Seva Sangam has created the mobile Village-Based Rehabilitation app (mVBRI), which provides training and technological tools for community rehabilitation workers serving children with disabilities. Using the app, workers can offer hands-on, inclusive programming that enables children’s development and their caregivers’ empowerment.

mVBRI first connects families with community rehabilitation workers in their area. The workers then assess the children’s needs and provide free, in-home therapy with support from remote specialists through the app. The community workers also train caregivers to provide daily therapy themselves and offer psychological support and networking opportunities for participating parents and families. 

Market Opportunity

In rural Tamil Nadu, 88,000 children with disabilities under the age of six do not have access to early intervention therapy. In these communities, the average annual family income is $1,800, yet government-provided early intervention therapy costs $1,090 per child per year through center-based programs. mVBRI’s home-based program costs on average $286 per child per year, and if scaled, it could reach 7.3 million children with disabilities living in rural India, a market size of $2 billion.

Partnership Goals

Amar Seva Sangam currently seeks:

• Technical support to further improve the platform to ensure sustainability and feasibility while scaling;
• Connections to other NGOs to support the delivery of home-based early intervention, particularly in Tamil Nadu; and
• Funding support for technology development, scale up, and advocacy initiatives.

Organization Highlights

S. Ramakrishnan, President of Amar Seva Sangam, was awarded: 

• The 2007 CNN International Hero Award; and 
• The Dr. Ambedkar National Award from the President of India in 2014.

Existing Partnerships

Amar Seva Sangam currently partners with:

• Several organizations that provide funding, including Grand Challenges Canada, Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives, Handi-Care International, City Union Bank, Next-GEN, Vodafone Foundation, and NASSCOM; and
• Several research partners, including the University of Toronto’s International Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation, McGill University’s Global Health Rehabilitation Initiative, and Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education.