Mission East established a rehabilitation center for children with disabilities in Tajikistan eight years ago and stopped support after two years.
But the center in Penjakent continues on its own with the benefit of 95 families.

Help to self-help. The slogan is often used, but nonetheless a good goal to aim for in all development work.
We all need a helping hand from the outside once in a while.
But the goal is always that we manage ourselves.

We now see this principle unfolded in a rehabilitation center for children with disabilities in the Tajik city of Penjakent.
Mission East started the center eight years ago and supported it for the first two years.
Today, the center lives on in the best of ways, partly with the support of Tajik government and partly with the employees’ creativity.

Makes own aids and toys

They have designed and produced aids and toys for the children themselves with their resources:

– I think it was interesting to notice that they had many toys for the children and many tools to help the children with.
They were homemade. And that’s because they do not have the money to buy good equipment.
So to have something, they have started making it themselves.
It was great, says Mission East’s country manager in Tajikistan Sakari Koivula, who visited the center in February.

He also noticed that the staff were good at involving the children’s parents in the actual rehabilitation.

The parents are grateful

– I was impressed by the way the parents got involved.
It was actually difficult to distinguish whether it was the staff or the parents who helped the kids with the training!

The center takes care of children from 60 families, where 12 children at a time come one day a week and receive rehabilitation.
In addition, 35 families help with home training. The center is run together with the local partner organization Nuri Umed.

– I was pleasantly surprised by the visit and saw evidence that the center still works.
The activities continue and the children are rehabilitated.
And the parents expressed great gratitude for the help to their children, says Sakari Koivula.

Continues rehabilitation at home

Involving parents in rehabilitation is important in a country where health work is highly institutionalized, says Sakari Koivula.

– The authorities’ efforts are usually provided by the health care professionals, and the parents are not very much involved.
But it was inspiring to see the staff at our center show the parents how to do exercises with the kids.

What does it mean for the parents when they come home with the children?

– I’m sure it ties them closer to the kids and gives them hope that rehab helps.
They get more motivation to continue the rehab work at home when they know what to do and have confidence that they are doing the right thing.

Parents get new hope

The problem in Tajikistan is that children with disabilities are often excluded.
They can be forgotten in a corner of the house and completely excluded from all activity because the parents do not know what to do with them, Sakari Koivula explains.

– But then they get new courage when they interact with other parents of children with disabilities.
When they come to the center and can see the other children’s development and get hope that their children also enter into a positive development.

Mission East has been working in Tajikistan since 1997.
Hundreds of children with disabilities are guaranteed physiotherapy at local centers where Mission East has provided equipment and trained staff.
The center of Penjakent receives only a small helping hand from Mission East.
They can do the rest themselves – among other things by making equipment with their resources.

This article was published with support from Autokey.dk