Bright (2 years, brain damage) with his parents Roben and Christabel

Rehabilitation Compass for Inclusion (RCI)

Rehabilitation Compass ensures good rehabilitation care is accessible

Children with disabilities in Cameroon can get access to quality rehabilitation care through the Rehabilitation Compass programme, which we run with our partner Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Service (CBCHS), and thanks to the financial support of the AFAS Foundation.

The vast majority of children (86%) with disabilities in Cameroon do not receive the rehabilitation care they need, the country having a huge shortage in this area.

With the Rehabilitation Compass programme, which started in 2021 and runs for four years, we are therefore developing quality training for rehabilitation professionals: physiotherapists, occupational therapists, Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) workers and Multi-Skilled Rehabilitation Technicians. This will make quality rehabilitation care accessible to those who need it most: children and young people with disabilities living in poverty.

New centre for excellence in education

A giant step in this journey is the realisation of a brand new centre, where all rehabilitation courses will come together under one roof plus a library and a student hostel. Construction of the new training centre is fully funded by AFAS Foundation.

From late 2024, this training centre will offer the opportunity to train people from Cameroon so that they can provide rehabilitation care to children, adolescents and adults with disabilities at the highest quality level. The training centre allows for further improvement in the quality of training and is unique in Cameroon.

Profound difference

The story of mother Vanessa and Carine, field worker at CBCHS, shows the profound difference the Rehabilitation Compass makes in the lives of children with disabilities and their families. Vanessa is a mother of two children with disabilities: daughter Mafor Freshnel was born with extreme bow legs and son Rodrigue has a physical disability due to a brain injury.

“Through Carine’s support, my family has undergone a complete facelift,” says Vanessa.