Helping Children with Disabilities Reach Their Potential
In March 2017 the Newcastle Rotary Club of South Africa raised local funding to distribute over 100 wheelchairs to people with disabilities in the township of Osizweni, near Newcastle, South Africa. They soon realized that providing the chairs alone was not adequate. Those who received a chair were also in need of clinical services to address their medical conditions and since they were only delivering standard wheelchairs, they could not serve children with specialized disabilities who need customized devices for their medical condition.
Uhambo, the Rotary Club of Fort Collins, Colorado and the Newcastle Club are collaborating to provide holistic and appropriate clinical support and devices to children with mobility disabilities in Newcastle, South Africa, as well as build the local capacity of the community so they can meet the needs of their disabled population. Our programs provide children with disabilities the opportunity to be included in their community, have improved quality of life, not face stigma, and reach their potential through developmental educational programs. We accomplish this by building the capacity of community health care workers, medical professionals, caregivers and family members. We collaborate with local and regional health care and community partners to accomplish our objectives and allow for sustainability in the community.
More specifically, for this project we plan to improve the quality of life of children with disabilities, increase the skills of health care providers and community workers, increase the knowledge and skills of caregivers (family members and staff), decrease the stigma around disabilities, and create a network of support in the community -- all of which allows for the community to sustain supporting children with disabilities.
We will carry out the following activities to accomplish these objectives in two townships of Newcastle, Madadeni and Osizweni:
1. Conduct clinical services: Our clinical therapists assess children with disabilities identified by, and together with, the local rehabilitation department therapist(s), to prescribe the most appropriate device for each client. We will conduct 3 outreach clinics in the community to assess, prescribe, fit, customize, repair and reposition children in devices as they grow, in accordance with The World Health Organisation guidelines.
2. Deliver 23 appropriate new or refurbished devices, supplied by our partner, Shonaquip. Shonaquip is a social enterprise in Cape Town that designs, manufactures and distributes appropriate wheelchairs. Our quote provides for 23 devices, however the clinical assessment of the children will determine what the needs are of the children. Uhambo works closely with the Dept of Health as the government has a waiting list of children in need of wheelchairs. We ensure that we are serving those who aren't being served already.
3. Train local clinical therapists from the Dept of Health: Training on clinical disability skills (24 hour positioning, wheelchair seating and wheelchair maintenance) will occur at the Newcastle Hospital or another community hospital. This is accredited by the Health Protection Society of South Africa as giving continued education development points (CPD) which contributes formally to career development. The training of professionals is vital for sustainability of programs in the community and for the ongoing progress of the disability sector.
4. Train the caregivers: We train parents and/or caregivers in the use of devices and the individual positioning needs of the child/children in their care. All caregivers receive training on the use of the device and how to position their children in their devices when the children are fitted at our Outreach Clinics and follow ups. Caregivers also attend the "Let's Talk" disability sensitization trainings which gives introductions to disabilities, rights and destigmatization support techniques.
This training is vital for sustainability in the community and for the ongoing progress of the disability sector.
5. Empower the community: We will offer two "Let's Talk" disability sensitization trainings at our outreach sites which focus on reducing stigma, increasing engagement by families and building local networks of support. Many of the families are isolated as a result of social stigma. This contributes to sustainability as well, by creating disability advocates in the community who can carry forth and stand for children with disabilities.
Rotary Global Grant #1869879 (Completed 2018-19)
Read MoreUhambo, the Rotary Club of Fort Collins, Colorado and the Newcastle Club are collaborating to provide holistic and appropriate clinical support and devices to children with mobility disabilities in Newcastle, South Africa, as well as build the local capacity of the community so they can meet the needs of their disabled population. Our programs provide children with disabilities the opportunity to be included in their community, have improved quality of life, not face stigma, and reach their potential through developmental educational programs. We accomplish this by building the capacity of community health care workers, medical professionals, caregivers and family members. We collaborate with local and regional health care and community partners to accomplish our objectives and allow for sustainability in the community.
More specifically, for this project we plan to improve the quality of life of children with disabilities, increase the skills of health care providers and community workers, increase the knowledge and skills of caregivers (family members and staff), decrease the stigma around disabilities, and create a network of support in the community -- all of which allows for the community to sustain supporting children with disabilities.
We will carry out the following activities to accomplish these objectives in two townships of Newcastle, Madadeni and Osizweni:
1. Conduct clinical services: Our clinical therapists assess children with disabilities identified by, and together with, the local rehabilitation department therapist(s), to prescribe the most appropriate device for each client. We will conduct 3 outreach clinics in the community to assess, prescribe, fit, customize, repair and reposition children in devices as they grow, in accordance with The World Health Organisation guidelines.
2. Deliver 23 appropriate new or refurbished devices, supplied by our partner, Shonaquip. Shonaquip is a social enterprise in Cape Town that designs, manufactures and distributes appropriate wheelchairs. Our quote provides for 23 devices, however the clinical assessment of the children will determine what the needs are of the children. Uhambo works closely with the Dept of Health as the government has a waiting list of children in need of wheelchairs. We ensure that we are serving those who aren't being served already.
3. Train local clinical therapists from the Dept of Health: Training on clinical disability skills (24 hour positioning, wheelchair seating and wheelchair maintenance) will occur at the Newcastle Hospital or another community hospital. This is accredited by the Health Protection Society of South Africa as giving continued education development points (CPD) which contributes formally to career development. The training of professionals is vital for sustainability of programs in the community and for the ongoing progress of the disability sector.
4. Train the caregivers: We train parents and/or caregivers in the use of devices and the individual positioning needs of the child/children in their care. All caregivers receive training on the use of the device and how to position their children in their devices when the children are fitted at our Outreach Clinics and follow ups. Caregivers also attend the "Let's Talk" disability sensitization trainings which gives introductions to disabilities, rights and destigmatization support techniques.
This training is vital for sustainability in the community and for the ongoing progress of the disability sector.
5. Empower the community: We will offer two "Let's Talk" disability sensitization trainings at our outreach sites which focus on reducing stigma, increasing engagement by families and building local networks of support. Many of the families are isolated as a result of social stigma. This contributes to sustainability as well, by creating disability advocates in the community who can carry forth and stand for children with disabilities.
Rotary Global Grant #1869879 (Completed 2018-19)
