The motto of the Ontario Physiotherapy Association is “Freedom to Function”. Sixteen children with disabilities in Kenya and Tanzania were given just that, and have benefited from treatment and equipment funded by members of the Northwestern Ontario District of the Ontario Physiotherapy Association (NWO-OPA).
Unlike Canada, public health care in Kenya and Tanzania is not readily accessible. One in every six Kenyans, while coping with severe poverty, is also struggling with one or more disabilities. These disabilities prevent many children from attending school and their parents from working. Others are further disadvantaged because they are orphans of AIDS. As a result, the cost of corrective surgery, wheelchairs, and physiotherapy can be prohibitive with even simple equipment such as crutches, being beyond their means.
The Philippines is an island nation in Southeast Asia. Although the Philippine Archipelago has literally thousands of islands, there are three main islands that are more prominent in size and population. The country was colonized by Spain for three hundred years, by the Japanese during World War II, and by the Americans during the post-war era. The way of life of Filipinos is an amalgamation of the influences of its former colonizers as reflected in its religion (85% Christians), culture, language (Tagalog and English are the two official languages). There are more than 150 dialects indigenous to the islands and the main currency is the peso. As of 2000, the population of the country was estimated to 76 million. The Philippines has a fairly high prevalence of poverty which is greater in rural than urban areas (37% vs. 12%).
The world’s biggest city in land area, Davao is one of the country’s metropolitan centres and sits at the southeastern tip of the Philippines, about an hour and a half by plane from the capital Manila. Having been named as the Philippines’ most livable city by Time Magazine Asia, it boasts of picturesque scenarios and distinct flora and fauna indigenous to the city.
CPA's WCPT Delegate Funding Task Force is anticipating receiving many applications for the funding available to CPA Members, Student Members, and International Delegates.
Nepal by Mary Martin A. Introduction to the country and region Nepal is a small, landlocked country of South Asia, and lies in the shadow of the Himalayas, the highest peak of which is Mount Everest. Nepal is roughly rectangular in shape, covering an area of 147,181 sq. kms and sandwiched between two big Asian giants, China in the North and India in the South. Nepal is ranked as one of the poorest countries in the world with a per-capita GNP of US$ 260, and ranked 136/177 on the human development index.
Various studies conducted in the past gave different statistics on the prevalence of disability in Nepal. The sample survey of disabled person in Nepal conducted in 1983 showed that 3% of the total population were disabled. A situation analysis on disability in Nepal conducted by UNICEF in 2000 found 1.63 % of the total population were severely disabled which is quite a contrast to WHO's estimate of 10% of the total population as disabled in developing countries. A recent survey on disability in Nepal is the 'District Disabled Survey - 2005', conducted jointly by the Local Government and World Vision Nepal in Sunsari District in Eastern Nepal. The survey revealed that out of a total population of 640,295, 31,160 people were found to be disabled. This is 4.87% of the population, which is close to the national estimates of about 5% made by NGOs working with disabled persons. Of course all these surveys use slightly different definitions of disability, so it is difficult to compare the statistics.
Disability in Nepal is a major issue, yet it has not been a high priority for service providers or policy makers. There is not adequate service provision to ensure that disabled people, particularly children, are able to grow like others and take advantage of the rights and opportunities offered to other citizens. If we were to refer to national estimates, such neglect would affect 5% of the country's population, which means that about 1.1 million people would be neglected.
Mary Martin teaching physiotherapy students at Dhulikhel Medical Institute
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