PROGRAMME ACTIVITIES
Prosthetics: we continue to make and repair artificial legs for victims of mine-blasts and other war injuries. The legs are made of polypropylene plastic and wood and the feet are made of rubber - each one is cast and manufactured by our Afghan technicians.
Orthotics: we make appliances for patients suffering from post-polio paralysis, cerebral palsy, peripheral nerve injuries, burns, paraplegia, strokes and spinal and hip deformities. Some of them require callipers and leg braces; some need corsets and spinal jackets, and some mobility aids such as walking frames, seating chairs and wheelchairs. There is no comparable service elsewhere in eastern Afghanistan, and patients come from the refugee camps in Pakistan as well.
Physiotherapy: we treat a wide variety of patients - from those with lifelong disabilities to those temporarily incapacitated after an accident or an illness. All new patients are initially assessed at the physiotherapy department and then referred, if necessary, to the local hospital for corrective surgery and to our orthopaedic workshop. The outreach programme enables the physiotherapists to work in basic health clinics in rural areas and identify patients who can benefit from physiotherapy treatment.
Disability Awareness: our health educators teach patients, their families and other health staff including traditional birth attendants (TBAs) about disability awareness. In this way disabilities can be prevented through understanding of hygiene in the home and the importance of vaccination. Children with disabilities can also be identified earlier. A good example is the problem of clubfoot, which TBAs can easily identify and refer to SGAA for plaster casts when the baby is only a few weeks old. If this deformity is not treated then, corrective surgery is necessary.
Training Programmes: Traditionally Afghanistan has had little knowledge of the importance of physiotherapy and orthopaedic workshop services. Before the Russian invasion in 1979 there were a handful of physiotherapists in Kabul and one orthopaedic workshop. Today through support from aid agencies there are over 11 orthopaedic workshops throughout Afghanistan and over 300 Afghans working as physiotherapy technicians or orthopaedic technicians. Since 1988 SGAA has trained more than 70 physiotherapists and physiotherapy assistants who now work in community-based rehabilitation centres all over Afghanistan and in the refugee villages in Pakistan. Apart from the regular visits of SGAA's own consultants to monitor and evaluate the project, SGAA also sends its Afghan staff on local management and training courses in Pakistan and Afghanistan to improve their skills and increase their ability, one day, to take over the running of the organisation. The goal is to create a wholly Afghan organisation which will continue to provide first-rate services for the disabled.
Thank you for taking the trouble to read this. Please give us all the help you can spare, as every penny helps. If you are a taxpayer, we can send you a Gift Aid Declaration form, which enables us to claim back tax on any donation made.
Eleanor Gall
UK Director and Trustee