Afrikids 2020 - Ghana
Physiotherapy and support for disabled children and their families
Listening to local people and empowering them to make sustainable changes themselves so that every child in northern Ghana can be happy, healthy, safe and in school.
Years: 2020
Afrikids’ primary goal is to ensure that every child has the opportunity to enjoy a happy, healthy life, get an education and achieve their full potential. Yet children with disabilities or chronic medical conditions have an increased risk of neglect and abuse in northern Ghana. In this area there is a particularly high prevalence of preventable conditions like cerebral palsy. Mothers living in these remote communities have limited, if any, access to healthcare services, information or medical professionals during pregnancy and child birth.
Afrikids work with families to help them understand their child’s condition and provide training to help them provide treatment and physiotherapy to improve their child’s movement. This project marks the beginning of Afrikids exit strategy for two of their six rehabilitation and physiotherapy centres and they will work with communities to take ownership of the centres over the next three years. The project will:
- support 96 children to have their healthcare and wellbeing needs met. In the facilities, they will receive physiotherapy and medical care, and their parents will learn how to care for their children at home;
- provide specialist training on cerebral palsy for 33 midwives which will contribute to a reduction of cases in the area;
- train 192 parents in techniques to support their children’s physical development and provide them with sitting and standing supports made out of papier mache to help build strength in their children’s muscles;
- provide microfinance grants to 96 mothers to improve their financial security and ensure that they can provide medical care for their child;
- raise awareness of cerebral palsy and its causes in communities and train volunteers in how to run the centres in the future.
