South Asia regional office

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The South Asian region remains one of the most disadvantaged in the world: more than 1/3 of its 1.4 billion population lives on less than $1 a day, making South Asia home to nearly half of the world’s poor. Despite improvements in education and health services, the region still has the world’s highest youth illiteracy rate and over 1/5 of the region’s population doesn’t have access to health care services. In addition, the region is experiencing increasing prevalence of disabling diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and lymphatic filariasis. Natural and human-made disasters, inadequate infrastructure and recurring social exclusion are among the many other obstacles to the inclusion of disabled persons.

BACKGROUND
1996: regional exploratory mission in India, Nepal and Bangladesh for implementation of a regional project aiming at developing a new approach for mainstreaming disability issues: Community Approaches to Handicap in Development (CAHD).
2000: Handicap International opens a South Asia Regional Office (SARO) in Nepal, which oversees all programmes in the region.
2002: SARO’s role and functions are redefined as a decentralised regional technical coordination and its office shifts to India, where most of the technical resources are concentrated.
2003: SARO is renamed SARC (South Asia Regional Coordination) and covers Afghanistan. A project identification mission is also carried out in Sri Lanka.

SOUTH ASIA REGIONAL COORDINATION (SARC)

Introduction to SARC
The South Asia Regional Coordination (SARC) program is one of Handicap International’s regional platforms. Originally established in Nepal in 2001, the aim of SARC was to decentralise aspects of program coordination and support from headquarters in France in order to strengthen the programs of Handicap International (HI) in South Asia.  Based in Delhi since 2003, SARC works alongside programs in South Asia to promote optimal levels of quality in project planning, implementation and evaluation.

SARC’s mandate
SARC adds value to Handicap International programs in South Asia through quality assurance throughout the project cycle, via networking, coordination of technical support, and by acting as a resource centre.

Why SARC exists
Having a regional office in South Asia offers important strategic advantages:

• Sound knowledge and networks: our location in the hub of South Asia means we have comprehensive knowledge of the context, projects and networks within the region. This enables us to stay up to date with regional initiatives and innovations, resulting in optimal support for our programs. Our proximity to regional networks also allows us to share Handicap International’s approach throughout the region. 

• Action: our geographical proximity to the country programs allows us to respond rapidly.

• Regional Resource Centre: SARC is developing towards a regional resource centre to enable our programs increased access to technical support, knowledge and human resource management.

• Coordination: Our technical expertise and strategic position enable us to act as a coordinating body for the sharing of experiences and promotion of good practices both within Handicap International, and externally.

What SARC does
The main activities of SARC include:

• Providing technical support throughout the project cycle and in administration
• Coordinating internal networks for sharing and learning
• Coordinating mobilization of human and material resources
• Coordinating knowledge resources
• Coordinating regional initiatives and know-how
• Documenting and disseminating best practices
• Participating in regional networks
• Linking programs to Handicap International headquarters and worldwide.

How SARC works
SARC works with country programs in South Asia in the following ways:

Reactively…
Based on requests received from country programs, SARC provides direct technical support in its areas of competency Otherwise, SARC mobilizes resources from headquarters or externally to respond to requests.

Proactively…
SARC advises country programs about new approaches and project ideas. Together with programs, SARC also reviews the implementation of project activities, and provides notification and technical assistance when alternative or additional interventions are required to maintain the quality standards of Handicap International.

Directly…
SARC provides support directly through field visits to the country programs, in the form of capacity building or direct assistance. 

Remotely…
SARC support is also provided remotely from the SARC office in Delhi. Examples of remote support include technical input to project proposals and sourcing of human and knowledge resources.

Interactively…
As a decentralized delegation, SARC provides feedback and field-level information to headquarters, as well as carrying out specific activities requested by headquarters within the region.

SARC Team Profile 

• The Regional Administrative Coordinator (RAC) reinforces the competences of the administrative team in South Asia and monitors the administrative organization of the program. The RAC has also strong functional link with the Administrative and Financial Unit in Handicap International headquarters.
• The Regional Human Resources Coordinator (RHRC) manages a pool of skilled regional staff for the region, providing support for regional staff recruitment, developing continuous training for program teams and providing support for HR management. The RHRC is also an intermediary for the Head Office for international staff management.
• The Prosthetic and Orthotic Technical Coordinator (P&O TC) provides technical support and advice to programs developing and implementing P&O components within their projects, including physical rehabilitation workshops and P&O training courses.
• The Regional Disability Coordinator (RDC) and Deputy Regional Disability Coordinator (DRDC) provide technical support and advice to programs developing and implementing projects which involve key areas of disability intervention, including rehabilitation, rights and inclusion.
• The Regional Coordinator (RC) manages the SARC team and links SARC with Directors of country programs. The RC coordinates liaison with headquarters, and also provides technical support in key areas.
SARC shares its administrative services (Finance and Accounting, Human Resources and Logistics) and Communications and Advocacy services with Handicap International India, with which it is co-located.

Where SARC works
SARC currently provides support to the Handicap International programs in the following countries within South Asia:
• Afghanistan
• Bangladesh
• India
• Nepal
• Pakistan

CONTACTS

Regional Coordinator
South Asia Regional Coordination
Handicap International
No. 10, Zamrudpur Community Center
Kailash Colony Extension
New Delhi – 110048
India
Ph: 0091-11-46566934-37, 41646 312
Fax: 0091 – 11 – 4164312
Email: rc@hi-sarc.org