Education Pakistan Project #31713

Supporting Children with Disabilities in Pakistan

by MAITS - Multi-Agency International Training and Support

Project Report | Apr 5, 2024
24 CHWs trained; 3 trainers awarded certificates; findings from home visits to families

By Jenny Simpson | Project Coordinator

ACELP & MALC training

Community Health Worker Training

In November 2023, MAITS organised training for 12 Community Health Workers (CHWs) affiliated with the Disabled Welfare Association (DWA) in Karachi. This initiative was led by four ACELP qualified therapists, all of whom are MAITS Level 2 trainees, under the supervision of three Master Trainers. Despite facing various logistical hurdles, the training proceeded successfully.

In December 2023, an additional 12 Community Health Workers underwent training at ACELP. 8 of these CHWs are from our partner organisation, ACELP, and 4 are from another partner organisation in Karachi, Marie Adelaide Laprosy Centre. 4 ACELP therapists, who are MAITS Level 2 trainees, led the training. They are supporting the CHWs throughout the year as they visit and work with children and their families in the community. The L2 trainers aresupervised by 3 Master Trainers. The training was very well run and interactive; our Master Trainers at ACELP are confident and experienced in running MAITS trainings.

Following assessment by the MAITS Master Trainers, 3 of the 8 Level 2 trainees that held the trainings mentioned above were deemed ready to receive their L2 certificates. These certificates were officially awarded by MAITS' Director of Operations Sadia Mirza, during her visit at the conclusion of February 2024. The remaining two Level 2 trainees will continue to receive support and guidance from the Master Trainers, with the aim of further enhancing their skills. They will be provided with another opportunity to train CHWs and eventually qualify as Level 2 trainers themselves.

All of these 24 CHWs are now conducting home visits to families and will continue to be supported by their trainers for the next year.

Home visits

During her visit to Karachi in February, our Director of Operations, Sadia Mirza, conducted home visits to five families along with CHWs and a Master Trainer from ACELP. The aim of these visits was to evaluate the impact that this programme is having on the ground, collecting testimonies from parents who have been receiving support from MAITS' trained CHWs. These five families all had differing socioeconomic status. Sadia noted the need for community based provision at all levels of society; the community based rehabilitation services are beneficial for all the families visited.

Many thanks from the MAITS team for your continued support.

ACELP & MALC training

L2 Trainees receiving their certificates

Attachments:

Case studies from home visits (PDF)

4 Attachments

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Dec 15, 2023
New Partnership With Disabled Welfare Association

By Sadia Mirza | Director of Operations

Dear Supporters of MAITS,

We are thrilled to announce our new partnership with the Disabled Welfare Association (DWA) in Karachi. DWA provides a range of specialized services catering to the distinct needs of individuals with disabilities. These services encompass accessibility support, assistive technology resources, counseling services, and community outreach programs designed to enhance their overall quality of life.

In October 2023, MAITS successfully conducted training for 13 Community Health Workers (CHWs) at the Disabled Welfare Association. These CHWs play a crucial role in providing compassionate support to individuals with disabilities within their local communities.

Additionally, we trained 4 local therapists to serve as trainers, enabling them to train future social workers specializing in disabilities. This comprehensive 55-hour training programme was facilitated by three expert MAITS Master trainers in the local language. Our collaboration with DWA was initiated last year through HANDS.

While MAITS training sessions are typically scheduled for full days, we made necessary adjustments to accommodate situations where all staff members are undergoing training simultaneously. This ensured that the training timings were organised in a manner that did not disrupt the organisation's daily operations. The training spanned 10 days, totaling approximately 55 hours.

Following the training, we anticipate that each CHW will be able to support a minimum of 8 to 10 children with disabilities in Karachi within their first year of training. MAITS will actively collect monitoring and evaluation data through home visits or by engaging with children who receive support from individuals trained by MAITS.

We would like to say a big thank you to all our donors who are making it possible for MAITS to continue supporting children with special needs. We have so far reached 1.4 million children through your generous donations.

Many thanks,

MAITS Team

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Aug 22, 2023
CHWs and therapists to receive their certificates

By Jenny Simpson | Project Coordinator

CHWs conducting their home visits

Dear Readers,

SInce we last updated you, our Empowering Community Healthworker programme at our partner organisation Al Umeed Rehabilitation Association (AURA) has finished. The Community Healthcare Workers (CHWs) have submitted their final review forms. CHWs have been diligently supporting 125 children with special needs for almost a year and submitting quarterly reports to MAITS. We have seen steady increases in these children's outcomes, including parents reporting improvements in their children’s general health, happiness and how much more their children are participating in social activities. Thank you to all the CHWs for their dedication to making a difference to the children they have been supporting.

We would like to congratulatie the 25 CHWs and 6 therapists from AURA who are due to recieve their certificates in the next couple of weeks. Well done to everyone involved for such a successful project.

Here is some feedback from the parents:

"[Boy's name] has made very good progress. He can now wash after toileting, he can now count 1-20 and read some words. He is now playing educational games very well."

Another says, "He is now much better in activities of daily living, such as washing, dressing and going to school, compared to before. We are hopeful that he will make even more progress. We are very thankful for the help from [CHW's name] and MAITS."

A third parent said, "We are very satisfied as she is now almost independent in activities of daily living and now we can send her to school."

Moving forward, we are planning a new training in Karachi for this October. This training involves 8 therapists from our partner organisation ACELP, who will train 19 CHWs from 3 organisations. They will be supported by 4 Master Trainers. We are currently finalising the planning and look forward to being able to share further details with you in our next newsletter.

Thank you for your valuable donations which allow us to continue to make a difference in the lives of children with disabilities and their families.

The MAITS Team

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