TRAINING COURSES

RWANDA
Part of Malamulele Onward’s vision is to reach beyond the borders of South Africa. The vehicle for reaching children with CP living in sub-Saharan Africa is through training local rehabilitation staff working with the children. The training courses offered are recognized and certificated by the South African Neurodevelopmental Therapy Association, the professional body responsible for training Bobath/neurodevelopmental therapists.

Annual two week training courses took place Inkuru Nziza, in Kigali, Rwanda. Sixteen therapists in total – 12 physiotherapists, two occupational therapists, one speech therapy assistant and one orthopaedic technician attended the training courses each year. In 2007, six of the participants were from outside Rwanda - four from Tanzania, one from Uganda and an American occupational therapist working in Kigali as a volunteer. The focus of the training course in 2007 was eating , drinking and communication difficulties in children with CP and was led by a speech therapist, assisted by a physiotherapist.

The emphasis of the course is on “hands on” practical clinical skills applied within a problem-solving framework. Thus there were practical sessions with children with CP each morning. Each practical session was followed by a workshop or a treatment demonstration on one of the children seen in the practical session. This meant that eight children received daily therapy for five days.

A further training course, this time focusing on occupational therapy aspects of working with children with CP is planned for 2008.

LESOTHO
A long-term training programme is planned for Lesotho, starting late in 2008

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