World Rehabilitation Fund Inc

WRF CONTINUES TO HELP PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN COUNTRIES AFFECTED BY WAR, POVERTY, OR NATURAL DISASTERS.

WRF PROGRAMS:IN LEBANON:WRF CONTINUES THE EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT IMPLEMENTATION OF ITS PROJECT TITLED "FILLING ASSISTANCE GAPS IN BASIC REHABILITATION SERVICES FOR REFUGEES FROM SYRIA WITH DISABILITIES AND THEIR PEERS IN HOST COMMUNITIES IN LEBANON".DESPITE THE CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH:INCREASING DEVALUATION OF THE NATIONAL CURRENCY (LEBANESE LIRA); SOCIO-ECONOMIC, AND POLITICAL CRISES THAT CONTINUES TO UNFOLD AND EXPAND SINCE OCTOBER 2019; EMERGING AND ESCALATING FUEL AND ELECTRICITY SHORTAGES; AND CONSTANT DISRUPTION OF TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS, COMMUNICATION NETWORKS, AND SUPPLY CHAINS.WITH SUPPORT FROM THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE'S BUREAU OF POPULATION, REFUGEES AND MIGRATION (PRM), WRF WAS ABLE TO PROVIDE PERSON-SPECIFIC AND TAILORED DIRECT ASSISTANCE TO 5,075 PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES (PWDS) AND PERSONS WITH TEMPORARY FUNCTIONAL LIMITATIONS (PTFL) IN NEED ALL OVER LEBANON AND IMPLEMENT ARCHITECTURAL ACCESSIBILITY MODIFICATIONS FOR 24 COMMUNITY SERVICE ENTITIES TO REDUCE PHYSICAL BARRIERS TO SAFE ACCESSIBILITY TO PWDS. WRF ALSO WAS ABLE TO CONDUCT INTERVENTIONS CONCERNING ISSUES ON DISABILITY, REHABILITATION, AND INCLUSION. ADDITIONALLY, FRONT-LINE WRF STAFF PROVIDED COUNSELLING IN THE AREAS OF PSYCHOSOCIAL AND MENTAL HEALTH, SELF-CARE AND HOME CARE, HEALTH PROMOTION, DISEASE PREVENTION. FOLLOW-UP SERVICES REGARDING THESE ISSUES WERE PROVIDED. ASSISTED BENEFICIARIES IN NEED, THROUGH ITS REFERRAL SYSTEM, BY CONNECTING THEM WITH LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL NGOS AND SERVICE PROVIDERS IN LEBANON THAT OFFER ASSISTANCE SERVICES.ASSISTANCE SERVICES INCLUDED: - PROSTHETIC AND ORTHOTIC DEVICES - REHABILITATION AIDS, SELF-CARE SUPPLIES & SPECIAL REHABILITATION DEVICES - PHYSICAL, OCCUPATIONAL, AND RESPIRATORY THERAPY - HEARING AIDS AND GUIDANCE AND INITIATION TO SPEECH THERAPY - PRESCRIPTION EYEGLASSES AND LOW VISION AIDS - BASIC BARRIER-FREE HOME AND CAR MODIFICATIONSTHE ASSISTED BENEFICIARIES INCLUDED 2,619 REFUGEES FROM SYRIA, 2,345 LEBANESE FROM HOST COMMUNITIES, AND 111 FROM OTHER NATIONALITIES. AS FOR THE TYPE OF DISABILITY, 2,078 (40.9%) SUFFERED FROM VISION IMPAIRMENTS, 2,081 (41%) FROM PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENTS OR DISABILITIES, 285 (5.6%) FROM HEARING IMPAIRMENTS, 80 FROM INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES (1.6%), 32 FROM AUTISM (0.6%), AND 519 (10.2%) FROM MULTIPLE DISABILITIES. 2,583 (50.9%) OF THESE BENEFICIARIES WERE BELOW 18 YEARS OF AGE.IN 2021, THE PROGRAM PROVIDED 2,107 EYEGLASSES AND OTHER VISION CORRECTION, 1,761 REHABILITATION AIDS AND SELF/HOME CARE SUPPLIES, 484 PHYSICAL, OCCUPATIONAL AND/OR RESPIRATORY THERAPY, 284 HEARING AIDS, 125 PROSTHETICS AND 305 ORTHOTIC DEVICES, 136 SPECIAL REHABILITATION DEVICES SUCH AS SPECIAL WHEELCHAIRS AND PATIENT LIFTERS, 19 BARRIER-FREE HOME AND AUTOMOBILE ADAPTATIONS. IN 2022, WRF CONTINUED ITS WORK PROVIDING PROSTHETIC AND ORTHOTIC DEVICES AND REHABILITATION SERVICES TO PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES.IN ADDITION, WRF-LEBANON SUPPORTS THE STRENGTHENING AND EXPANDING OF SIX COMMUNITY-BASED REHABILITATION (CBR) SERVICE PROGRAMS THAT COVERED 8 DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHIC AREAS IN LEBANON. PROVIDE PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS WITH CAPACITY BUILDING, STAFF COACHING AND MENTORING, DEVELOP AND EXECUTE PUBLIC AWARENESS AND ADVOCACY ACTIVITIES CONCERNING THE NEEDS AND RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES, PARTICIPATE IN NATION-WIDE COORDINATION EFFORTS AIMED AT ASSISTING PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES AND THE NEEDS OF SYRIAN REFUGEES.WRF LEBANON HAS BEEN A LEADER IN THE COORDINATION AMONG LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN AGENCIES CONCERNED WITH ASSISTING SYRIAN REFUGEES AND PERSONS FROM LEBANESE HOST COMMUNITIES WITH DISABILITIES THROUGH STEERING THE DISABILITY AND OLDER AGE WORKING GROUP WHICH WAS FORMED IN JUNE 2013.TRAINING AND SUPPORTING REHABILITATION PROFESSIONALS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. WRF COLLABORATES WITH PROSTHETIKA TO DEVELOP SHORT-TERM TRAINING WORKSHOPS FOR PROSTHETIC AND ORTHOTIC (P&O) TECHNICIANS, MOST RECENTLY IN GUYANA AND QUERETARO, MEXICO. THIS HAS ENABLED GUYANA TO BE ABLE TO IMPROVE SERVICES FOR THE 420 PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES.IN GUYANA, WRF AND ITS PARTNER, PROSTHETIKA INC., PROVIDED FOUR STATE-OF-THE-ART TRAINING AT THE PTOLEMY REID REHABILITATION CENTER (PRRC), THE ONLY PHYSICAL REHABILITATION CENTER IN THE NATION OF GUYANA. THE TRAINING INCLUDED PROPER FABRICATION AND FITTING TECHNIQUES AND ENHANCEMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY SERVICES FOR PATIENTS. SPECIAL ATTENTION WAS PAID, AT THE REQUEST OF THE CENTER, TO THE NEEDS OF PATIENTS WITH SCOLIOSIS. DURING THIS YEAR TRAINING, 18 PERSONS WITH A VARIETY OF CONDITIONS WERE PROVIDED ASSISTIVE DEVICES AND APPROPRIATE OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY.MXICO WRF AND PROSTHETIKA ALSO JOINED FORCES FOR A SIMILAR EFFORT AT THE CRIMAL REHABILITATION CENTER IN SANTIAGO DE QUERTARO, MXICO, THE ONLY FACILITY OF ITS KIND IN THE ENTIRE STATE OF QUERTARO, A STATE WITH A POPULATION OF 2.3 MILLION. REHABILITATION EXPERTS FROM THE UNITED STATES ASSISTED THE STAFF AT CRIMAL IN TREATING 22 CASES SELECTED BY CRIMAL AS PRESENTING DIFFICULT PROBLEMS. ELEVEN OF THE CASES WERE ABOVE THE KNEE AMPUTEES AND FIVE BELOW THE KNEE. THERE ALSO WERE 2 BELOW ELBOW AMPUTEES, 1 PARTIAL FOOT AMPUTEE, 1 HEMIPELVECTOMY PATIENT (PATIENT SUFFERED AMPUTATION TO REMOVE TUMOR LEAVING HIM, IN EFFECT, WITH AN ABOVE THE KNEE AMPUTATION), AND 1 CONGENITAL PFFD (BIRTH DEFECT CAUSING MALFORMATION RESULTING IN ONE LEG BEING LONGER THAN OTHER). IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING COMFORTABLE PROSTHESES FOR THESE PATIENTS, PHYSICAL THERAPISTS AT THE CENTER WERE TRAINED IN THE USE OF THESE DEVICES.