Diya Foundation (DIYA) is a Vocational Training Center in Bangalore providing education in life skills and employability skills to adults with intellectual challenges. Founded in 1999, DIYA is a registered charitable Trust. The need was for vocational training once basic schooling was completed thus preparing a potential workforce that has so far been greatly ignored.

Adults with intellectual challenges have a huge potential to be self-dependent and productive provided their training is structured and systematic. In the last 20 years Diya has impacted over 200 adults with intellectual challenges and made life altering changes in over 800 lives. These adults have had life altering changes in their self esteem, self dependence and productivity through systematic and consistent training in the Diya training program. They have learnt skills like personal grooming and hygiene, household and financial management, personal social skills, occupational guidance and employability skills.

DIYA provides adults and young adults facing intellectual challenges and disabilities with vocational and life skills, making them employment-ready. We equip them to become valuable contributors to society. DIYA is part of the transformational stories of over 200 such unique individuals over the past 20 years. 

VISION

To see individuals with a disability and their families alive with dignity and pride in the present and operating with love, respect and confidence in the future.

MISSION

To enrich the quality of life and bring dignity to differently abled adults by educating them in life skills and employ ability skills towards self-dependence, building support systems and enhancing awareness in the Community.

GOAL

Our goal is to help women and men with intellectual disabilities to become industry-ready and earning members of society who lead self-reliant and dignified lives. 

HISTORY

Diya Foundation began it’s journey in 1999 by focussing on vocational training. With ProVision India as a training partner products like candles, paper-mache, terra cotta and other new avenues were discovered and expanded to improve and enhance skills of our adults with intellectual challenges. Gradually, the Diya staff team increased and work began to blossom and become more structured.

New partnerships with Give India and Credibility Alliance put due diligence and transparency structures in place.  Partnership with WHITEBOARD strengthened Board Governance and Board involvement. CSR partnerships with 3M Limited, ANZ and other Corporates and employee engagement with GOLDMAN SACHS helped our program grow and created awareness about the work potential of our adults with special needs.

The creation of Diya Innovations Pvt Ltd, a social enterprise,  as a future employment and sustainability plan for our training program was our vision to build a company that ensures opportunity for any individual with different abilities to grow towards economic independence.

EKTA, an SHG started and managed by parents of our beneficiaries in partnership with Industree Craft Foundation was another trial venture to bring self employment and improve quality of life. Partnership with AIMS Multimedia opened up the world of digitization to our adults with special needs.

Partnerships with Colleges and Universities for internship opportunities have helped us create an impact and awareness about our work as a possible future career opportunity for their students.

Events like Raining Colors – an Art Exhibition 2015; Raining Chuckles – a Comedy Night 2016; Raining Goals – a 5-a side football tournament 2017; TCS World 10K supported by Radio One 94.3 FM are few of our past fundraising events that helped us create awareness of our work and raise funds. Other events like Reboot by Ventures and Sahyog by Christ University and Quizzabled by Seva in Action helped build up our beneficiary social skills and self esteem.

Networking and Collaborative efforts with members of Disability NGOs Alliance, Mission 1000 and Enable India helped to create employment opportunities with Corporate Partners and standardize curriculum for employability.

VOLUNTEER INFORMATION FORM

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