Matty Yorke August 2021, in the Kalvarayan Hills in Tamil Nadu, the streets in 70 villages lit up with 100 solar street lights. The installation of solar street lights has brightened the lives of the residents of these villages, and has created a strong sense of safety, especially among women and children. In fact, cases of animal attacks and snake bites have reduced because of the streetlights. Children of these villages are delighted as this will help them to study after sunset. For the community, these solar lights will promote informal social gatherings. For the government, the solar lights will save up to 78,840 kWh of conventional electricity per year.
The man behind this illuminating venture is Dr Dinesh Kumar, physiotherapist, and founder and president of Omega Rehab Federation, who along with his team spent 15 days at the Kalvarayah Hills.
Says Dinesh: “Several families have been living here for at least 40 years, and a few hamlets do not have electricity connections. There are 179 villages in the Kalvarayan Hills, and all are tribal communities. There are no proper roads or street lights in most of these villages. We thank our sponsors, and hope we can light up more streets.”
Living Their Experience
It is not through the streetlights alone that Dr. Dinesh has been brightening up lives of the underprivileged.
After securing a master’s degree in physiotherapy, and a postgraduation diploma in fitness and nutrition, Dinesh’s heart was set on helping people, especially children, who are physically challenged. In fact, his setting up of Omega Rehab Federation in 2016 was one step towards his determination to serve the poor and the disabled, especially in education.
“I can feel the pain and the struggles of the poor people. I remember the challenging years during my study for my bachelor’s and master’s degrees. My dad lost everything in business. I struggled to pay the fees, and meet expenses for my basic requirements — food and clothes and other essentials. I worked part-time, and during my master’s, treated patients in the evening to fund my expenses for books and fees. By God’s grace, I did it.”
Once Dinesh began working as a physiotherapist, he treated many disabled children to help them to cope with their daily activities and help their parents. And this led to his decision to set up Omega Rehab Federation to help people who wanted to reach out to disadvantaged.
Omega Rehab Projects
“We have different projects — a special school for the mentally and physically challenged, providing them with education, physiotherapy reform, speech therapy and educational apparatus. Omega Rehab regularly conducts rural community welfare programmes. At these camps, we make the poor, rural disabled parents, or disabled children aware of how they can benefit from the government health schemes.”
Physiotherapy screening camps are held for the disabled and the elderly. Free aids and appliances such as orthotics and prosthetics — special shoes and artificial limbs — are distributed, and corrective surgeries are done to help improve the mobility of disabled children.
Wheelchair sports and games is another initiative that is close to the heart of Dinesh and his team. “Disabled people, who are involved in sport, are encouraged with free physiotherapy, so that they can participate in events.
Dinesh says that COVID-19 brought about lot of hardships especially to children, who continue to struggle for food. “Till date, with the help of sponsors, we have provided groceries worth INR 10 lakhs to at least 1000 families.”
“Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit”
With limited means, generous donors and a supportive family, Dinesh is happy that he has been able to accomplish what his heart set out to do, and do more. His wife Evangelin, who has done her master’s in microbiology, takes care of the administration of Omega Rehab and the projects, especially in the handling of special children. Their two children – son Alwin Samuel, 10 years old, and in the fifth standard, and daughter Adeline Felicia, seven years old and in the second standard – are proud of their parents’ social venture. The team is a strong believer of the mission of Omega Rehab to work towards the transformation of our society into an all-inclusive society where all people, especially those with disability are accepted and respected, irrespective of caste, creed, race, and religion.
Says Dinesh, “All this has been possible only because of my faith and belief in Jesus, who has done a lot of miracles in my life. When I am in a difficult situation I meditate upon ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit’, and He enables Omega Rehab Federation to be a light to people.”
