Community-based rehabilitation — outcome for the disabled in the Philippines and Zimbabwe

Abstract

Objective: to evaluate the achievements of a CBR programme initiated for individuals ascertained in house-to-house surveys. Design: assessment of changes in status for six types of disability after at least 6 months duration of the programme, with family participation. Setting: home, school, or workplaces in villages in the Philippines and Zimbabwe. Subjects: a sample of recipients of programme activites in each of the two countries. Assessments: history, testing of ability in ADL and communication, and family discussion. Results: general gain in ability scores in 78% and 93% of the samples in the two countries respectively, together with encouraging rates of starting school or taking up an occupation. Conclusions: the WHO CBR programme is highly effective for disabled people in the community being trained at home, for both children and adults, and yields similar results in different types of society; it can be accomplished at very low cost by recruiting volunteers, and mobilizes human resources in the community while promoting self-esteem.

Key Words:

• Evaluation
• rehabilitation programme
• cross cultural