People helped by the work of Global Rehabilitation Services
Global Rehabilitation Services has since its foundation carried out successful prosthetics treatment, including the arrangement of corrective surgery when required, for over 1,500 severely disabled children and youths.
Testimonials of six of these children are given below:
Jackson Kuetche
This child at the age of five had a severe cogenetal deformation (Bilateral valgus knees). The picture on the right shows the boy after corrective surgery and physiotherapy.
My Name is Jackson Kuetche and I am 7 years of age. My mother told me that when I was born, my legs were normal but later started deforming as I developed.
I went to school like other children until my legs got so serious that I found it difficult to walk to school. There came a time that I could not walk any more. I could only drag my buttucks on the ground to displace myself from one place to the other. Other children were laughing at me at school and I felt so bad and could not stop crying. The problem became so serious that my parents asked me to stop schooling and stay at home. I was sad because my brothers and sisters were going to school and I could not.
My parents were informed in the village meeting that there was a Handicap Treatment Centre called GLORES. The village group helped my parents through contributions to pay transportation to the GLORES Centre in Bafoussam.
In GLORES they told me that my deformations were so serious that surgery was needed. They also told my parents that I had ricketitis, a disease that causes severe deformations of the bones and retards growth and develoment. My parents did not have money for the operation. I started crying with my mother. GLORES worked out a financial assistance for the operation of my legs and put me on medical treatment. My parents only paid a small portion of the operation charges.
My legs are corrected and are straight. I can now go to school. I am happy with my family because I have returned to school. My family and I do not know how to thank GLORES programme.
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2. Mapta Yomgue
This two days old baby had a severe cogenetal deformity. The picture on the right shows her after one month of physiotherapy.
This testimony was given by the mother of a three year old child who was refered to GLORES for treatment for a severe congenital deformation of the right leg by the Bafoussam Regional Reference Hospital.
Mother’s observation
God still continue to perform miracles today through individual and charitable organizations like GLORES. I believe in what I am saying because of my experience with my little girl whom I brought to GLORES at the age of two days with serious deformation of the right leg after birth. The hospital where the child was born told me that something can only be done through surgery when the child reaches the age of 25 years. They, however, refered the child to the Handicap Treatment Centre called GLORES. If the hospital of that calibre could not do anything, I was left with no choice than to cry.
I brought the child to GLORES in tears. I was comforted and told not to worry. I could not believe what they were saying. They consulted the child and put her on treatment for one month. To my utter amazement the child’s leg returned to normal. I could not believe myself. I thought I was dreaming.
Now my little girl is growing up normally like other children and shows no sign of any problem at birth. This was a miracle to me. I started thanking the therapists in GLORES but they told me that they only treat and God heals.
Thank God for giving us a treatment Centre like GLORES. God through GLORES prevents disabilities in Children! Let God give more inspiration to the Therapists in GLORES so that they can help more handicap children in Cameroon.
Knefack Evelyn Yomgue
« Mother of Mapta Yomgue »
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3. Efone Jacque
This boy was without a left femur. The picture on the right shows him after physiotherapy
My name is Efone Jacques from Bafoussam. My parents did not want to send me to school because I found it difficult to walk due to my left leg that was deformed and shorter than the right leg from birth. They said that going to school was not necessary since I would not be able to walk making it difficult to find a job.
When I went to GLORES they made it possible for me to walk with the help of splints and now I am in school and doing very well with my school work. My parents, villagers and I am happy.
Efone Jacques
Note: The splints this child is using are temporal and he will continue to wear them until the age of 25 when the deformed leg will be amputated and replaced with a permanent prosthesis.
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4. Freddy Pokam
This boy had a severe limb deformation (bilateral valgus knees). The picture on the right shows him after corrective surgery, physiotherapy and splinting.
I am speechless. I returned to the village after treatment and people could not recognize me again, even my relatives. One of them even asked if I went to the native Doctor for the magic done on my legs. This is really like magic.
It was already getting difficult for me to go to school. My legs were crossing over each other making it hard to walk. The worst thing is that other children in my school were often laughing at me. Some of them called me distorted legs. Things like these made my school grades to go down because I was not at ease at all.
To the utter amazement and to the surprise of the villagers, I can walk normally with no sign of disability any more. I am like other children.
Thanks be to GLORES and to God above all.
Freddy Pokam
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5. Patrick Kenfack
This young man had a cogenetal deformation. The picture on the right shows him after prosthetics treatment.
I am an 18 year old boy from Bafoussam, Cameroon. I was born with my legs deformed. To displace myself from one place to the other I had to creep and roll. I was brought to see the Orthopaedic surgeons from Holland for corrective surgery. They consulted me and said that nothing could be done to my legs. My mother and I started crying in the hospital. The Physiotherapist from GLORES told us not to cry and that we should come to GLORES so they can see what could be done.
We did not have the confidence because the surgeons said that nothing could be done. We, however, went to GLORES treatment Centre in Bafoussam. I was evaluated and internalized there for three months. They were able to straighten my deformed legs, put on prosthesis and trained me to walk.
Now I can walk and go to school and I am the secretary of the handicapped people organization (Arc -En- Ciel) in Bafoussam. I am looking forward to finding a job after my education.
Patrick Kenfack
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6. Brunhilda Tsakong
This girl had varus knees when she was five years old. The picture on the right shows her with legs straightened by physiotherapy.
My name is Brunhilda Tsakong. I am now 10 years of age. My legs were deformed when I was 5 years of age. I am from a family of 10 children and my father is a village chief with 3 wives. My father is a farmer and his income is so small that he is unable to send all the children to school. The 5 children that go to school are boys. Girls are encouraged to go to the farm with their mothers.
My father could not afford to send me to the hospital for the treatment of my legs. He once attended a village meeting which was organised by GLORES. In the meeting, they talked about disability, treatment of handicaps and showed pictures of treated children. My father was thrilled and took me to the GLORES Treatment Centre in Bafoussam, Cameroon. There I was consulted and referred for corrective surgery followed be physiotherapy.
They invited my parents and encouraged them to send the girls to school with the help of GLORES. Now I am preparing to go to the secondary school. And my legs are straight and normal. As a girl I feel beautiful.
Thanks to GLORES Treatment Centre. Because of GLORES programme I can walk straight, go to school and feel beautiful.
Please support the work of the Future in Our Hands Education and Development Fund whose aim is to help and empower some of the world’s poorest and most marginalised people by:
- UK residents can provide long term support by completing the FIOH FUND DONATION FORM and sending to the address shown on the form:
- Direct grant to the charity’s bank account or by cheque to:
Bank account details:
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Cheques should be made payable to the
Future in Our Hands E&D Fund
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Beneficiaries of the Poverty Alleviation in the Thar Desert project
Typical case histories of three people who benefited from the Poverty Alleviation Project in the Thar Desert, Pakistan managed by the Participatory Village Development Programme:
Radha
My name is Radha. I was selected as one of the beneficiaries of the FIOH PROJECT and I was given project management and handicraft skills trainings by PVDP and 25 fodder trees, 25 bair trees, one water tank, fuel efficient smokeless stove and a loan for handicraft making. I had never in my dream thought this kind of packaged support for reducing our poverty and vulnerability. Not only that my one son and one daughter were admitted in PVDP supported primary school but I also got the chance to learn to read, write and count up to 100 in adult literacy centre that was established by PVDP in our village.
I was one of the members of the Village Development Organisation and took an active part in the meetings and trainings to improve my knowledge and skills which gave me a lot of confidence to make decisions about my life and my children. I felt that I am terribly saved from falling into the trap of my in-laws who would never have given my children the opportunity to go to school. Also they would never had allowed me to join the adult literacy centre, attend community meetings and workshops which opened up my eyes and mind and gave me so much confidence to spend my life peacefully as a free human being.
I really feel that I have come to new life. The loss of my husband has been made good through PVDP support. Today, I am happy that despite serious droughts over last year, I am looking forward to getting some income from the sale of bair fruits in one or two years from the 50% of the trees which I have saved during the drought. I also managed to save 50% of the fodder trees on which my livestock will survive in the future years. I am already getting some income from the sale of embroidery work. I store my water in the tank which saves my time of fetching water from a distant well. The time I save is spent in doing embroidery work, attending community meetings and training workshops. I am also happy with my fuel efficient smokeless stove. When I used the traditional stove, I often used to have sore eyes due to smoke emission. With this smokeless stove I feel very comfortable, my eyes are protected, the stove uses less wood and cooks faster due to two burners. With so much of support from PVDP our family’s life has really changed.
I went to PVDP established vocational center in my village and learned to make purses and sewing clothes on sewing machines provided by PVDP. After the training I am happy that I can sew cloth and can earn money from this skill. I can also make purses which PVDP is trying to find market for. I am hopeful that when purses will sell and I can tailor make clothes for other people and earn handsome money which will help to reduce our poverty. I have become alive again! Thanks to PVDP and the FIOH Project.
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Indra
I am Indra. I have entered in the fourth year of this project which is helping to improve my family’s socio economic position. Now I am the active member of my village organization and active member of PVDP. I attended all trainings conducted by PVDP and also attended all programmes organized in our village by our Village Development Committee. Now I have the skills and confidence to give presentation of our community development work to our village people and outside visitors. I was also made aware of the important role of mother in looking after the children and their schooling. Now I take good care of all my children.
I also send my children to school and at home I make them study. I also help them where I can in their studies. I am supporting my community to becoming literate. Adult literacy classes are conducted in which I teach women to read, write and acquire numerical skills. The trainings and seminars I have attended have helped me in becoming aware of community issues which need our action to address them. I also realized that 8th class is not enough for me so I got admission for further studies. I now study at home and go to city to appear in exam. I am hoping to complete my matric over the next two years. I have a government job in which I am working as community health worker. I am helping women in their pregnancies and safe deliveries. PVDP health team regularly update my knowledge and skills about health care. I am very thankful to PVDP and the FIOH Fund that through their support my own and family’s life has changed.
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Welayt
I am Welayt. I have entered in the fourth year of this project which is helping to improve my family’s socio economic position. Despite my disability I feel more at ease and involved in various opportunities created by this project. After becoming a member of VDO for four years of this project, I have attended different training programmes and sessions such as handicraft training, livestock management training, and wild food preservation. I can now take care of my livestock and this year we preserved different vegetables which helped to somewhat secure our foods.
My mother and me make embroidery work which get sold in the local market and we earn some income from this activity. It is particularly helpful during drought times when most of our resources deplete. It is my wish that our daughters go to school to get education at least up to primary level to learn some basics of education that could help them in their future life.
We are strictly bound to comply with the set of rules of this culture. The changing of culture is not as easy as changing habits; it needs self persuasion and discipline. Earlier, women in my village were not allowed to attend meetings and trainings. My husband, after attending various trainings of PVDP on civil & political rights, project management, and livestock management etc. inspiringly, motivated to his community to provide same opportunity to their females for becoming active member of VDOs. But no one was agreeing for this change. PVDP in that situation organized more meetings and trainings to convince our community for female participation. Then, PVDP selected 16 households as beneficiary of FIOH Fund UK Project. We were provided with water tanks, bair trees, fodder trees, fuel stoves, and embroidery support loan with informative trainings. We hope to have more income in future through sale of bair fruits and handicraft work.
I am thankful to PVDP for providing embroidery skills to me and my daughters who cannot be educated due to our rigid culture, but they learned skills to earn at home. Another good thing happened is that my daughters can write their name and know counting of numbers by attending classes in Adult Literacy Centre of PVDP.
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