Across the country, close to 5.9 million people (13% of the population) live with different types of disabilities and almost 2.5 million people (5% of the population) live with physical disabilities.
"This year has been especially busy for our team, and yet, there's so much more to be done," says Zeon De Wet, the ICRC's PRP manager in Myanmar. He adds that the ICRC works to help people living with disabilities through four physical rehabilitation centres, one orthopaedic workshop and two outreach programmes, including a mobile repair workshop. We also have over 70 trained repairmen across the country who visit those who are not able to access the rehabilitation centres for fitting their assistive devices.
Besides providing a range of rehabilitation services, these centres also promote social inclusion of people with disabilities through activities ranging from sports rehabilitation to vocational training to support for starting small businesses. "Through these initiatives we aim to help people rediscover vital social skills and be empowered and independent," says De Wet.
Here's a look at what our Physical Rehabilitation Programme in Myanmar looks like.
