"Support for the people with disability" project was officially launched on 10 April 2012 and will be implemented in three communes in Quang Linh District, Quang Tri Province. It builds on the success of a similar project implemented by SRD in Thua Thien Hue province from 2009 to 2011, and will support people with a disability to improve their physical and mental health, nutrition and integrate with the community.
A comprehensive needs assessment - prior to the project's development - found the need for disability services and support in the region is acute. Gio Ling is home to more than 6,000 people living with a disability. The cause of disability is varied, and includes genetic birth defects due to chemical exposure, illness, traffic accidents, war injuries and work accidents.
The common source of income in the region is agriculture, and the manual labour associated can make it difficult for people with a disability to undertake meaningful work and earn an income. In turn, this often isolates them from the broader community.
The project has been developed to address the diverse needs of adults and children living with different types of disability. Activities in the first months have included home visits from physiotherapists and development of community support groups in each commune.
Physiotherapists from the Provincial Hospital of Quang Tri are conducting the home visits, assessing patients and providing advice to them and their families. The support groups include people living with disability and the families who care for people with disability and will meet every two months.
-SRD-
Centre for Sustainable Rural Development (SRD)
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