The
project aims to increase equal opportunities for disabled children in
Kenya through changing attitudes in society that are biased against them.
By using Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR), the project will empower
parents, families and community members with new skills and knowledge of
rehabilitation techniques. These will enable them to better manage and
reduce the negative impact of disability in affected children and spur
them to seek provision of appropriate services. VSO is planning to use a
new pattern of services for increased sustainability and
cost-effectiveness, characterised by fewer experts than required in
traditional CBR, simplified methods of intervention, less advanced forms
of training and participation of those concerned in decisions about
provision. The project will introduce CBR in five pilot districts
initially and a further 5 districts later. It will strengthen the existing
role of Kenya’s nation-wide Education Assessment and Referral Centres,
as CBR training will be given to existing EARC staff. Practical
assistance, guidance in daily living skills and guidance to parents will
be done by trained personnel visiting family homes. The number of children
to benefit is estimated to be several thousand. Indirect beneficiaries
will be staff in health care, special needs and other teachers who will be
trained. Examples of best
practice will be documented and disseminated throughout the project area
and more broadly and into VSO’s global network of publications,
workshops, conferences and informal sharing.
