Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR)
Community-based rehabilitation (CBR) focuses on enhancing the quality of life for people with disabilities and their families, meeting basic needs and ensuring inclusion and participation. CBR was initiated in the mid-1980s but has evolved to become a multi-sectoral strategy that empowers persons with disabilities to access and benefit from education, employment, health and social services. CBR is implemented through the combined efforts of people with disabilities, their families, organizations and communities, relevant government and non-government health, education, vocational, social and other services. Read more...http://www.who.int/disabilities/cbr/en/
Personal Story - Desmond Beng
"In 1992, I suffered from meningitis which caused severe damage to my optic nerves. My doctor told me that I was permanently blind. I could never see again and enjoy life for the rest of my life. Out of desperation, I asked if there was still a way possible. His response was when a nerve was dead within the central nervous system that was its permanent death. I went home saddened, feeling empty, hopeless and meaningless without sight. I was thinking of ending my life.
On the following year, Ms Lucy Japu a young Community Base Rehabilitation (CBR) worker from the Creative Self Help centre for the Disables visited me. Since then she visited me weekly on every Wednesdays for ten years with her CBR skills just to convince me that there was life beyond blindness regardless of my disability.
Here I got out of my stubborn will and got fully involved in many of the CBR programs for the last nine years. I got empowered by attending various capacity building seminars, trainings, workshops and meeting other people with disabilities and sharing life experiences both in and out of the country which gave me a different approach to life beyond blindness/disabilities.
Although I still have many challenges as I move on in life, each day I can at least SMILE and say thank you to God , my families friends , the many people and organizations to name a few like; CBM who supports and fund the CBR programs for the Creative Self Help centre, VSO and others who came into my life and moved on in one way or the other had contributed to see the turnaround in my life.
I am now employed as a teacher for the Blind and vision impaired children at the CSH-Special education resource centre."
On the following year, Ms Lucy Japu a young Community Base Rehabilitation (CBR) worker from the Creative Self Help centre for the Disables visited me. Since then she visited me weekly on every Wednesdays for ten years with her CBR skills just to convince me that there was life beyond blindness regardless of my disability.
Here I got out of my stubborn will and got fully involved in many of the CBR programs for the last nine years. I got empowered by attending various capacity building seminars, trainings, workshops and meeting other people with disabilities and sharing life experiences both in and out of the country which gave me a different approach to life beyond blindness/disabilities.
Although I still have many challenges as I move on in life, each day I can at least SMILE and say thank you to God , my families friends , the many people and organizations to name a few like; CBM who supports and fund the CBR programs for the Creative Self Help centre, VSO and others who came into my life and moved on in one way or the other had contributed to see the turnaround in my life.
I am now employed as a teacher for the Blind and vision impaired children at the CSH-Special education resource centre."
Resources
Community Based Rehabilitation Guidelines - http://www.who.int/disabilities/cbr/guidelines/en/index.html
CBR Guidelines by component Introductory booklet Health component Education component Livelihood component Social component
Empowerment component Supplementary booklet CBR matrix The CBR matrix gives an overall visual representation of CBR. It consists of five key components, each divided into five key elements. Each of these elements will have a dedicated chapter in the guidelines.
Link to MP3 Audio files
World Bank - Community Based Rehabilitation
More information here...World Bank
CBR Guidelines by component Introductory booklet Health component Education component Livelihood component Social component
Empowerment component Supplementary booklet CBR matrix The CBR matrix gives an overall visual representation of CBR. It consists of five key components, each divided into five key elements. Each of these elements will have a dedicated chapter in the guidelines.
Link to MP3 Audio files
World Bank - Community Based Rehabilitation
More information here...World Bank