𝐒𝐂𝐂𝐈+ 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐝

…𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒃 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒃𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏

By Sonam Choden

One year after its founding at Paro College of Education, the Service with Care and Compassion Initiative Plus (SCCI+) Club has established itself as a youth-led, community-based caregiving group in Bhutan. Built on the theme “By Youths, for Persons with Disabilities,” the initiative was created to improve the quality of life for persons with disabilities and senior citizens, especially those confined to their homes, through compassionate and inclusive care.
Over the past year, SCCI+ has put this vision into practice and broadened it, becoming a local platform for social inclusion, dignity and youth empowerment.

The club’s main objectives include delivering personalised care and accessible services to persons with disabilities and elderly citizens, particularly those living in isolation. Its work combines physical assistance with emotional support, using a person-centred approach that affirms dignity, builds companionship and responds to individual needs. Services include household chores, distribution of assistive devices, minor home repairs, provision of essential goods and regular social interaction.

At present, SCCI+ serves 13 care recipients across Wangchang, Hungrel and Doteng Gewogs in Paro. The team is supported by 47 active youth volunteers known as Nyinjey Youth Volunteers.
Volunteers work in groups of three to four and make regular weekend visits. The frequency and nature of the visits depend on the needs of each care recipient. This system is designed to ensure consistency and individualised support.
“We see each person as a human being with unique needs rather than just a case or a number,” said Kinley Bidha, the club’s Vice Coordinator. “The ones we support deserve empathy, respect and attention that is tailored to their situations.”

Kinley said this model is not only about efficiency but also about a moral commitment to inclusion and dignity.
One of the guiding principles of the SCCI+ Club is to ensure that the voices of care recipients are heard directly rather than being spoken for. The club creates spaces for them to share feedback and help shape the services they receive.
“We make it a priority to listen directly to the people we serve,” Kinley said. “Sometimes that simply means slowing down, asking more questions and being open to change.”

Volunteers are encouraged to reflect on their own biases to make sure their work remains authentic and responsive. Kinley acknowledged that there is always a risk that some members may be more interested in personal recognition than in genuine service.

“Yes, that is a fair concern. In any group, some people may be driven by recognition or résumé building,” she said. The club addresses this by promoting a culture of humility, accountability and sincerity. “Real service is humbling and eye-opening,” she added.

The experiences of volunteers show the emotional and practical dimensions of the work. Jangchuck Dorji, a committed SCCI+ member, said his most meaningful contribution often comes from simply being present with care recipients.
“I often feel uncertain about whether my efforts are sufficient, particularly because many of the individuals I serve, especially the elderly, are left alone,” he said. “Sometimes the most important support I can give is just to listen and talk to them.”

He said one challenge is balancing tailored care with fairness. “Each person has different needs. Some require more attention, while others prefer less intervention,” Jangchuck said. “Care must be customised, but everyone should still be treated with equal respect and dignity.”

Volunteers face other difficulties, including travelling through rough terrain to reach homes that are often inaccessible by vehicle. They also encounter social stigma toward disability. Jangchuck recalled that some families questioned the value of allowing persons with disabilities to leave home.

“Some families would ask, ‘What will he do if he goes out?” he said. “They assume that a paralyzed or intellectually disabled person should remain indoors. While changing these attitudes is difficult, we try to explain that persons with disabilities are individuals with hopes and dreams.”

Beyond direct caregiving, SCCI+ has also moved into advocacy. In 2025, it was selected to participate in the Shift Campaign, a national platform to promote youth-led social innovation.

As part of this, the club prepared an action plan for disability awareness programs in schools, Gewogs, monasteries and youth centres. It organised focus group discussions with students from the Wangsel Institute for the Deaf and with parents from Drugyel School to design services that respond to their needs.

The club also launched a social media campaign using storytelling to share real-life experiences of persons with disabilities, aiming to raise awareness and reduce stigma. These efforts complement its ongoing Sunday outreach and service activities.

Looking ahead, SCCI+ plans to expand to more Gewogs in Paro and to establish similar clubs at other higher education institutions. Plans are already underway to start a branch at Samtse College of Education, with more to follow. The goal is to create a network of youth-led care groups across Bhutan.

Kinley said the long-term impact of the initiative will be measured not only in its activities but in the relationships and respect it fosters.

“The most lasting impact is not just the projects or donations,” she said. “It is the relationships, the moments of dignity restored and the transformation in someone’s life.”

For care recipients, the club hopes to leave a memory that they were seen, heard and valued. For volunteers, the aim is to build a lifelong commitment to service.

“It is about planting seeds,” Kinley said. “Not all of them grow immediately, but some may grow over time in powerful ways.”

By centring the needs of the elderly and persons with disabilities, and combining advocacy, outreach and youth leadership, SCCI+ is working toward a more inclusive and supportive Bhutanese society.