2018
Story: The direct clients of the project are the children living with multiple disabilities of poor or near-poor families in the remote areas of Ben Tre. There is little or non-existent access to therapy services or medical care.
Direct beneficiaries of the project are up to 40 children, male and female, who live with disabilities or in extreme hardship in 3 districts of Ben Tre province. Indirect beneficiariesare caregivers and families of the above children, as well as community members who will join effort with the project team. The local authorities will be also involved in raising awareness for better care and services to children with disabilities.
Problem: The parents/caregivers of children living with disabilities gave up hope on rehabilitation due to lack of awareness or knowledge about their child’s conditions and the possibility for recovery and/or mitigation. In the first families that we came for the survey, most children were lying on their beds day-in day-out without proper diagnosis and thus, without proper care. The dilemma persists because the parents/caregivers cannot afford the time to look more deeply into the child’s conditions while they have to try very hard to make ends meet. The families stay on the verge of poverty as they have little resource for their livelihood, some have practically no skills to earn a decent living. Overall, it is not only the child with disabilities who is in need for intervention, but the entire household and the surrounding community.
Solution: The grant from Consular Club will be used to fund for: 1) Special nutrition for 7 malnourished babies and children with special needs or with disabilities; 2) Assistive devices for 4 disabled children (wheelchair, seat for children with Cerebral Palsy, orthopaedic device); 3) Toilet or Latrine for 3 very poor households; 4) Medical care or Medical insurance for 7 children with disabilities or with a serious disease; 5) Scholarship for 7 children with special needs or children from near-poor families; 6) Livelihood support for 3 mothers/parents of children with disabilities.
