- A short history
- The hidden catastrophe
- A view at the disabled child
- Focus points of the Liliance Foundation
- Personalized, small-scaled and direct help
- The essence of the assistance
The hidden catastrophe
Millions of disabled children in developing countries; the causes
Studies from the World Health Organization, Rehabilitation lnfternational, and Unicer point to the hundreds of millions of disabled people in our world,A dsiproportionate amount is found in developing counrtries. The statistics from the different studies, were interpreted differently, resulting in no exact figures. What is clear in the statistics, in that millions of needy disabled children in developing countries are deprived from any sort of help. This enormous figure is a permalnent "hidden catastrophe", that nationally, as well as internationally, barely receives the attention it deserves. This is contrasted to sudden catastrophes occuring such as flooding, famine and war.
Causes
Poverty is the most important cause of the disproprotionate high amount of physically and mentally disabled children in developing countries. Governments have to economize on social services. There is a need for clean drinking water and good housing. Hygiene and preventative medicine are not sufficiently developed.
Vaccination
Even today, thousands of children in the developing world become physically and / or mentallly disabled, because they are not vaccinated in time against polio, measles, tuberculosis, or the other childhood diseases.
Pregnancy complications and birth trauma's
Children are born disabled because their mothers are underfed, have an iodine deficiency, or become sick, due to malaria for example. Another important cause is the frequent lack of professional help during the birth process; difficult births, the lack of oxygen can cause serious brain damage.
Feeding
baby's and young childrent that are underfed, are susceptible to infections, and experinece theserious effects that can follow, because they are not strong enough to form antibodies against the numerous diseases that threaten them.Often, they live in poor hugienci circumstances in which viruses of bacteris can easily attack. An unbalanced diet can lead to an insufficiency in vitmin A, which could cause blindness, Chronic insufficient feeding leads to a falling behind in the physical and mental development of children.
Early Recognition
Early Recognition of disabilities in children, is not always possible, because the needed knowledge and understanding is mission, This is due to the lack of public health and rehablilitation care in the surrounding area. Consequently, serious physcial and mental disabilities arise in children during their growing years.
Other Reasons
The incorrect usage of medicine or injertions, the misuses of alcohol and drugs, dangerous living and working conditions, traffic accidents, or having to live with war, these are some of the important causes and reasons for disabilities.
In the past, the public health care in developing countries had a low priortiy for rehabilitation in general. The small amount that was available was initially used for curaative medicine. Only after that, was attention given to prevention, In the last few years however a growing number of developing countries are focusion more attention on rehabilitation.
The policy of the Liliane Foundation associates itself with the present international vision on the problem of the availability for rehability in developing countries. In the 1970's, the World Health Organization, began a reorientation strategy to make public health care available for the entire population of developing countries. The "Primary Health Care"-idea, echoed world wide. The outstanding element here is the interchange from institutional care to primary health care, aimed toward the community. In the 1980's, a likewise reorientation strategy occurred in the area of rehabilitation. The "Community Based Rehabilitation"- idea was introduced. Thus, giving the large group of disabled children and adults in developing countries, a chance for rehabilitation.
The policy of the Liliane Foundation is directed to the disabled children who live at home. This makes it possible for the Liliane Foundation to offer a peronalized, small scaled and direct approach. By working together with are actively involved with the familizes at home. does the Liliane Foundation offer a chance a at rehabiliation. This way, the Liliane Foundation makes use of services, supplies and facilitites in the are: children receive operations in the nearest hospitals, phusiotherapy and follow up is found in the are, aids and appliances are locally manufactured, for education and job training, the children and young adults stay as close to home as possible, parents or guardians remain involved through the entire rehabilitation process. For this effective working method, the Liliane Foundation received a merit of honour from the United Nations in 1990.
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