Financial Times

Providing jobs for the skilled and talented disabled
It’s a question that is asked a number of times over the course of the visit. “Why aren't there more businesses like this?” The person doing the asking is D. D. H. Ferdinando, the founder of the Seth Sevana Foundation aimed at benefiting the physically handicapped, the needy, and the poor. It’s not just people who benefit, but the environment as well.

On the premises in Moratuwa, south of Colombo, there is a factory that recycles all types of plastic and polythene, to be sold back to those companies that need the raw material.

Mr. Ferdinando has been working with the handicapped for most of his life, spending over 30 years teaching the deaf, dumb and blind. What he noticed over those years was that there was no specific skills training for the kids in special schools - and there are around 20 spread throughout the country.
He decided to encourage vocational training in a number of skills with the encouragement of the headmasters of those special schools; who he meets to discuss ideas and future projects. The training covers such skills as welding, printing, carpentry, weaving and pottery.

The training wasn’t just about teaching, but working with the disabled to find out their needs as well. The foundation also goes out of its way to teach awareness programmes in the community, to educate people on the missing workforce that could be put to good use due to their skills learned, and hopefully to educate local people that there is an untapped workforce out there. To ensure that the foundation was able to be cost-effective, it was decided that a business needed to be set up, hence the recycling factory.
As Mr. Ferdinando also had to learn the business, he got the necessary help from the Canadian High Commission, and a few visits to India led to the necessary knowledge being gathered.

Since its inception, the foundation has trained between 1,200-1,500 young people, allowing them to learn the skills so that they can be gainfully employed; meaning they have the chance to live as normal lives as possible.

As for the factory, the plastic and polythene is brought in by the poor, being collected from garbage dumps, which is paid for. From there it is sorted as there are many types of plastic that melt at different temperatures. The factory has the capacity to recycle about 20 tonnes a month, both plastics and polythene, where a couple of the machines - the compactor and the dryer - were designed by Mr. Ferdinando. For those at the foundation, they are mostly trained in the production of plastic utility items and granules (pellets). While learning, and those who work at the factory, hostel facilities are available, for which 14 have utilised. Cooking is also encouraged so those staying can gain confidence to look after themselves when the time comes to leave.

The time taken to train the youth varies depending on ability and disability. “The training can take anywhere from two to six months. It’s all down to their abilities and willingness to learn.

We have had a number of people suffering from Down’s syndrome who are very bright, meaning it takes very little time to train them,” the founder said. He added that different people had different skills, where you had to wait for their natural talents to come out. “The visually impaired are particularly good with their hands,” Mr. Ferdinando said. Since the tsunami, the foundation has also taken in a number of women adversely affected, who are only too thankful for the opportunity to work; where they are employed in the sorting area and dealing with the chicken bags.

These bags have strips of cotton in them that needs to be removed before melting. All the plastic and polythene are turned into pellets for resale. The foundation deals with 15 companies and sells the pellets for between Rs 75 to Rs 100 a kilogramme. And with the never-ending supply of discarded plastic the factory’s future is secure, ensuring employment for those shunned by the majority of society. Mr. Ferdinando has only praise for his workers.

“These kids are talented, easy to train, turn up on time. There is no trouble, so I just don't understand why there aren’t other businesses like this to help. It seems these other places feel fine as long as they give money to charities, letting someone else worry about and deal with the disabled.

“There are also those who seem to think I’m exploiting these people, but I don’t. And if they are so concerned, why don't they set up their own workplace for the thousands of other handicapped out there?” he asked.
As a photo was taken with his trophy from the recent National Dirijaya Awards, Mr. Ferdinando again asked a question. Why couldn't the judges find any other companies that qualified for the award he won - the Disabled-Friendly Employer? This is no criticism of the judges, just a sad fact that such companies are very thin on the ground. With more opportunities for the disabled and disadvantaged youth, they can become more useful members of society and not feel such a burden.

These are bright, hard-working individuals that should be given the right to live a normal life, with a steady income. The Seth Sevana Foundation is working hard to employ as many differently abled people as possible, but as is the norm, more could be done. But Mr. Ferdinando is doing his bit; it’s just that there are a lot more bits needed to be found to make a whole.
For more information about the foundation ring 2647045 or send an e-mail to ssevana@sltnet.lk (Robert)

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