Disability and social inclusion
Disability is the effect of physical, mental or sensory damage before, at or after birth, by any cause. It means that a person cannot perform his or her daily living activities as normal. Disability is both a cause and an effect of poverty.
Society should respect the rights and dignity of people with disabilities and should not discriminate against anyone because of his or her caste, religion, sex, colour, livelihood or disability. But here in Nepal disability is still stigmatised. Community Based Rehabilitation Service (CBRS) seeks to address this through inclusive education, income generation programmes, and awareness and rights programmes. We carry out home visits to encourage and support people with disabilities, and we offer family counselling. CBRS helps people with disabilities to set progressive goals to increase daily living skills and enables them to take part in community and social activities.
Krishna Lamichhane, Training and Information Manager, CBRS, Naya Bazaar, Pokhara, Nepal, PO Box 293. Email: cbrs@fewamail.com.np
Training HIV educators
The Democratic Republic of Congo has been ravaged by years of civil war. Our organisation, MEC-APROSCAC, set up a Credit and Savings Union to fight against poverty. However, we quickly realised that as long as HIV continued to spread, our efforts to improve economic and social conditions would be ineffective. We therefore turned our attention to training young people as HIV educators. Their aim is to raise awareness about HIV and break down taboos about sex education at school or in the family so that more young people can be well informed. They are trained to speak out against the stigma that surrounds HIV, and against sexual harassment at school, university and professional settings. Maybe other readers are doing the same and we can share useful lessons from our experience?
Didim Teka, MEC-APROSCAC, Av. Masengi No 145, Selembao, Kinshasa, DRC. Email: aproscac@yahoo.fr
Helping dairy farmers to make wise decisions
Financial management is an important part of any modern business. I have developed a simulator using an MSExcel ® spreadsheet to help dairy farmers to make decisions about investment and planning. This simulator contains a set of typical records and accounts based on an imaginary farm situation. It allows a farmer to plan and assess the economic consequences of any decisions they make. The full version is available upon request.
Nega Tilahun, Ethiopia Email: negatl@yahoo.com
Sustainable technology
I am a water engineer with CMS (Church Mission Society), working with the Diocese of Hyderabad in Pakistan. I read with interest the article in Footsteps 67 about household biosand filters, which allow families to purify their own drinking water.
Projects that develop local people’s skills and their capacity to help themselves have many benefits. By sharing information and scientific knowledge, we have taught people how to make their own filters, so they don’t have to buy them. This is more sustainable in the long-term. We use only affordable, locally available materials and the ideas are simple so that people can pass them on to each other. These skills can be carried with people even when they are displaced by war. Our design for a home-made biological sand filter is available on www.cms-uk.org/water. We have also developed a method of removing salt from sea water.
We would like to encourage other engineers and development workers to adapt technology and put it within the reach of those who need it, by simplifying designs and adapting them to use only locally available and affordable materials.
Maurice Connor Email: moz.loz@googlemail.com
Rubbish collecting
Urban planning problems such as how to deal with rubbish collection can cause city authorities a headache. These wheel barrows are very useful for collecting rubbish but sometimes they are also used for carrying food to sell. It is very important not to use the same wheel barrow for both food and rubbish, as this can spread disease.
Arsène Otsoa Ndonga, Coordinator, GDA Afrique Centrale ,14459 Brazzaville Congo. Email: gdacongo2003@yahoo.fr Website: www.gda.ca.cx