New Programs for disabled children
1.Welcome our new family members
Starting from mid August Mr. Nay Lin Soe, 26 years, has joined the centre as CBR Manager. He is a new disabled staff and his impairment is weakness of both lower legs due to polio myelitis since he was three and half years old. He uses long braces for both legs and crutches for ambulation. He is now second year in University of Yangon majoring in Geography under distance learning program. He just came back from Japan after taking a course under ‘Daskin leadership training in Japan’ program in early August, 2006. He has worked as a computer teacher before he joins that course in Yangon for three years as computer operator, Braille typist, and teaching computer to disabled people for three years. He interests in empowering disabled people through Independent Living (I.L). Now he is under training for basic care for disabled people and other necessary skill relating to his new job at Eden centre and at the same time involving in current CBR and centre’s work actively. We are very importunate for having him an energetic young disabled leader. The centre warmly welcomes him and we hope that he can successfully implement the new concept of CBR to promote the lives of disable people in the country.
2. Publishing Eden Series and Disabled related literature:
To disseminate knowledge, sharing the basic
information and promoting awareness
of disability the centre is planning to write, publish and distribute some
brochures, booklets and books as much as possible. As a first step we are
preparing for brochures on various types of impairment, services, etc. We
have finished some brochures on ‘Down Syndrome’, ‘Cerebral Palsy (C.P)’,
‘Inclusive Education (I.E)’, ‘Disability’, ‘Community Based Rehabilitation (C.B.R)’,
‘Hearing Impaired’, ‘Visual Impaired’ brochures. Other brochures on
disability such as ‘Physiotherapy’, ‘Occupational Therapy’, ‘Hydrotherapy’,
Special Education’, ‘Autism’, ‘Behaviour Problem’, ‘Hyperactive and
Attention Deficiency’ and book on Special Education are processing. There
are no literatures on disability on local language and we believe that lack
of literature resources is one of the most hindrances to promote awareness
of disability in the country. We need your help in this area to cooperate
with us. If you need more and detail information please feel free to contact
us at the centre and you are warmly welcome..
3. Capacity building for staff and Workshop organized:
During the last few months the centre has sent some staffs to trainings conducted by Capacity Building Initiative (CBI) as follow:
| Sr. | Staff Name | Date | Name of Training / course |
| 1. | Daw Khing Yee Mon | 15-16/6/06 | Staff Management |
| 2. | Daw Hey Clay | 15-16/6/06 | Staff Management |
| 3. | Daw Hta Zin | 27-28/6/06 | Staff Management |
| 4. | U Bawi Than | 7- 12/8/2006 | Innovative approaches to producing media on child protection issue. |
| 5. | U Nay Lin Soe | 7- 12/8/06 | Innovative approaches to producing media on child protection issue. |
| 6. | Daw Van Thawng Mawi | 28- 31/8/06 | Strategies for promoting and expanding ECD programmes for young children. |
b). Workshop for Physiotherapist on “Community Based Rehabilitation and Research” has been organized on 30 to 31 August at Eden Centre by co-organizing with Myanmar Physiotherapy Association (MPA). The key speakers and guest presenters of the workshop are Professor Malcolm Peat, director of International Centre for the Advance of Community Based Rehabilitation, on CBR, Dr. Loma Jean Edmonds, Director, Office of Research Service on Research, bith from Queens University, Canada; Mr. Tin Myint on Down Syndrome, Mr. Zaw Win on brief History of CBR program in Myanmar and Dr. Mike Griffiths on ‘Planning Community Based Program’. There are more than 85 physiotherapists and other participants are attended. We are really blessed for having a world known personnel on related field and especially Mr. Peat is the one who start physiotherapy course in Myanmar in 1960 under Colombo planning at Yangon general Hospital.
4. Excursion trip for disabled children
The centre has organized excursion trip
for disabled children to Sein Gay Har play ground on – and on ---- . It
is a regular outing program organized by the centre at least twice per
year since 2003. We have been organizing excursion trips for disabled
children to ‘Zoo’, ‘Hlawka Natural Park’, ‘People Park’, etc. The main
aims for this program are:
* To experience natural beauty, enjoy in new environment, see new
things, participating and communicating each other and with new friends
by the disabled children;
* To promote awareness on disability in the community;
* To strengthen team spirit among the staffs, parents, volunteers, etc.
and promote leadership potential of the staffs by giving a chance to
manage the trip;
* To help disabled children to enjoy their Rights;
* To encourage parents and relatives of disabled children in their daily
struggle.
5. A visit to Bethany Home, Malaysia by our Director
Ms. Lilian Gyi, the Director of the centre, is now giving a short visit to Bethany Home at Malaysia to find out the possibilities of how we can work together in future. She left the country on 2/10/2006 and will be back on 15/10/2006. We are very excited to hear her experiences and discussion with them and hope that we can establish some program to promote the capacity of our staff skills.
6. Future Plan
Eden Centre for Disabled Children (ECDC) is planning to extend her program especially for disabled adult and disseminating disabled related knowledge and skill. We hope that in future soon we can start through the help and co-operations of partner organizations and donors.
