Community Inclusion Program (CBR) Introduction and Focus Groups

ICC's Relief and Reconstruction Office helped facilitate a general information session on the launch of Grace Children's Hospital (GCH) Community Inclusion Program (community based rehabilitation) was held Tuesday August 30th. The group was comprised of children who themselves live with a disability or who represent a family member or friend living with a disability in the GCH catchment area of Lower Delmas.

The session was led by International Child Care (ICC) Rehabilitation Advisor  (ICC Haiti/DR) Trudy Bekker. Trudy informed the group of ICC's plans to launch a CBR program in the coming months which intends to work directly with families of children living with a disability in the GCH catchment area. Trudy introduced the recently recruited CBR Coordinator Ms. Alexis.

A portion of the session was dedicated to a reading of a story of a young woman named Pauline who losses her leg in the Earthquake of 2010. Project Hope has plans to publish the content in the form of a speaking book which will serve as a tool to help undo the stigma associated with disabilities of all kinds.  Focus groups were held with attendees to gain feedback on the story's comprehensibility, impact and relevance. The story generated considerable discussion given a large number represented children who had themselves lost limbs in the earthquake. The messages of courage, resilience and hope resinated with members of the group representing children with other kinds of disability as well.

At the end of the information session Trudy asked for a show of hands of those who are interested in participating in the program, encouragingly all confirmed their desire to participate. Home visits will be conducted mid October following a period of obersvation and training in the Dominican Republic.

R&R would like to thank Trudy Bekker, Robenson Lucceus, Jason Friesen (of Project Hope), Ms. Alexis, Jean Philippe Brierre and Jose Magloire for their dedication and hard work.