ElectricAid Project of the Month
ElectricAid goes to POTZ!
Zanzibar in Tanzania is in many ways an exotic archipaelego. With her flame trees, red colubus monkeys and Indian Ocean beaches, it makes a delightful place to visit. But many of the population are very poor – earning a euro a day on average – and there are very few facilities for children with disabilities.
On the main island, the first Occupational Therapists qualified as recently as 2003. Together with an Irish volunteer (a niece of Bernardine Maloney, Station Manager, Moneypoint), two locals, Amina and Said, established rehabilitation and diagnostic services under the banner of Paediatric Occupational Therapy Zanzibar (POTZ).
Their programme is based in the 1500-patient general hospital in Zanzibar Town where they have registered hundreds of sufferers from spina bifida, cystic fibrosis, Down's Syndrome etc.
On an overnight visit to the island in December, I met Amina and Said who work with the children in the small clinic to help them develop basic functionality, and, where necessary, referral for therapeutic equipment. They also aim to create more awareness of disabilities within communities, and to help break down cultural taboos that inhibit registration of children with severe physical handicaps. The key success factor for POTZ is the increased selfreliance of the children and Amina and Said told me proudly: "Five spina bifida kids are now in school, who previously would have been at home and dead within a few years."
POTZ intends to extend its services to rural communities, so that therapy programmes can be provided without the need for children and their carers to make the difficult and costly trip to Zanzibar Town. Financial support is not available locally, but ElectricAid have approved an application to contribute just over €6,000 to fund five day therapy programes in each of the 10 districts of the island. We look forward to regular reports on progress with this project over 2007.
Electricaid Monthly Draw Winner
ElectricAid's winner of the month is Aidan Byrne (05653) Customer Supply Clanwilliam. Aidan wins a €500 travel voucher kindly sponsored by ESBI.
