Community-based rehabilitation — a survey of disabled in a village in Botswana

Abstract

The present study was undertaken in the context of developing community-based rehabilitation (CBR) in Botswana. A door-to-door survey was conducted in Moshupa village during 1990, identifying 1–4% disabled persons. Twenty-two per cent of the disabled were younger than 15 years of age and 17% were more than 65 years old. A high proportion (30%) of disabled persons had parents who were related to one another. A majority of the disabled had difficulties with mobility (65%) and 21% had two or more disabilities. Thirty-four per cent received treatment (predominantly modern medicine) and there was a positive association between treatment and education. The results are compared with other disability studies and discussed with reference to the CBR programme aims.

Key Words:

• Community-based rehabilitation
• epidemiology
• developing countries