In May of 2019 WRF utilized the funds received from an Anonymous foundation for an extremely effective short-term training program in the country of Guyana, one of the smallest countries in South America. With about 800,000 people it has a unique character as an only English-speaking country in the continent.

A request for assistance came from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to assist the only rehabilitation center with orthotics and braces for people with neurological disorders like cerebral palsy and with severe scoliosis. A team of rehabilitation professionals in Prosthetics and Orthotics and Physiotherapy addressed the identified problems through hands-on training and fitting of the devices, and worked to help improve general management of the facility. The intervention is expected to result in a major transformation for the facility in Guyana, the only facility serving people with these types of disabilities.

This particular project is another one of the successful short-term training projects with WRF’s long standing partner, ProsthetiKa, which led the implementation of the project with funding from various sources. Short-term interventions like these are very effective, and WRF is thankful to the Anonymous foundation and to its partnership with ProsthetiKa and PAHO to be able to continue implementing its mission and improving lives of people with disabilities.

IMPACT:

• 33 rehabilitation service workers received the intensive two-week training
• 16 children were treated for custom made leg braces. Four children and three adults received bilateral orthoses. Total of 6 pediatric AFO’s (lower extremity bracing for CP) for children from 18 months old to 10 years old, 10 AFO’s for adults (17 adults from 60 years old), and 1 young adult received HKAFO for spinal cord injury. 9 idiopathic scoliosis patients, all teenage girls, were assessed and for 2 of them TLSO scoliosis braces were fabricated and fitted
• Impact of this training is anticipated to be of value in helping several hundred persons per year who are diagnosed with the problems for which the training was designed.  Moreover, a relationship was set up whereby follow-up training and troubleshooting can be continued by the training team involved through future internet sessions.