Province
The Anglican Church of Tanzania
Diocese
Kagera
Goal
Karagwe Community Based Rehabilitation Programme is a Programme working at community level in Karagwe District. The Programme was established in 2003 after the successful implementation of a similar program in Murgwanza, Ngara District. The office is in Kayanga, neighbouring the Anglican Church of St. Peter.
The aim of the project is to enable the community to provide services with and for people living with disabilities in villages within the Karagwe District.
The emphasis of the work is on the prevention of disability and providing treatment for people living with disabilities. The project aims to equip the target group with knowledge and skills in order to raise their ability to be self-supporting and to enhance their wellbeing within the community.
Activity
KCBRP works by treating and assisting people with disabilities, both physical and intellectual. The disability may be from trauma or accident, illness or birth difficulties or congenital problems.
The KCBRP serves the community through:
- Education; working with the Local Government to access education for those with disabilities
- Community Awareness: raising awareness in the community regarding the abilities and needs of people living with disability.
- Advocacy: on behalf of clients to ensure their rights to education, access to health care, and justice
- Intervention: through surgery, equipment and devices, exercises and counselling
- Income Generation Activities: to enable people living with disability to gain some financial independence and to gain self worth.
- Regular eye clinics in co-operation with Nyakahanga DD Hospital.
The service’s focus is mainly with children and young people up to 21 years of age, however it is open to assist in other cases, particularly with regard to prostheses for cases of amputation.
The KCBRP provides regular free clinics in 15 villages around Karagwe, the furthest village being approximately a 70km round trip from Kayanga. However many people travel from other villages to these 15 villages to receive care so in actual fact it services many more villages. Each village that has a clinic has two Village Rehabilitation Workers based in that village. Their work is to sensitize the community regarding issues of disability, identify new cases, follow-up existing cases and communicate with the Village Leadership.