Projects

Short Description:

Overall goal

The aim of the project is to improve the functional independence and to reduce the risk of complications of conflict-affected people with disabilities in Luhansk Oblast, Eastern Ukraine, through the provision of direct functional rehabilitation care and adapted assistive devices.

Expected results

The project's expected outputs are:

- Output 1: Persons with functional limitations have improved their functional independence and/or decreased risk of critical health complications through direct rehabilitation care.

- Output 2: Key community health and social workers have increased their capacity to provide support to persons with functional limitations.

Target group / Beneficiaries

With its two-prong approach of Home-Based Rehabilitation and Capacity Development at structure level, 200 people with functional limitations benefit from rehabilitation care, 40 health and social workers benefit from specialized training on rehabilitation topics and 8 health and/or social facilities benefit from a specialized training on re-habilitation topics and assistive device donation, if applicable.

Activities

The following activities will be conducted under the project:

- Identification and assessment of conflict-affected people with functional limitations and key stakeholders

- Continuous update of the mapping of existing services and strengthening of referral mechanisms

- Provision of direct functional rehabilitation care to conflict-affected people with functional limitations at home and in the ambulatories

- Identification and assessment of key community health and social structures

- Definition of tailored training modules, in a participative approach

- Provision of rehabilitation training and IEC material to key health and social workers

- Provision of rehabilitation equipment and/or assistive devices to supported health and social facilities

Context

The armed conflict in Eastern Ukraine starting in April 2014 remains unresolved creating a protracted environment of insecurity and instability, causing extensive suffering of the local population and significant displacement in both rural and urban areas. Since the beginning of the armed conflict, more than 5 million people have been affected, of which 3.1 million are reported to be in need of emergency assistance and 1.5 million have fled their homes (Humanitarian Needs Overview, 2016). Currently, the situation remains tense with an increase in ceasefire violations along the contact line (OSCE, 2016). Handicap International (HI) launched assessments and started its intervention in 2015 to respond to the Ukrainian Minister of Health solicitation; asking for HI expertise to provide humanitarian relief in favour of the civilian population directly affected by the conflict, especially regarding health care (physical rehabilitation for people with functional limitations, including war wounded individuals). Since then, Handicap International has worked in both non-government controlled areas (Donetsk) and government controlled areas (Dnipropetrovsk and Luhansk Oblast) providing lifesaving support to conflict affected persons through 1) direct rehabilitation cares and 2) technical support to health and social structures and humanitarian stakeholders, as well as 3) mine risk education with a focus on children.

The current project with funding from ADA, in combination with a larger ADH-funded project, will enable Handicap International to continue its activities and reach more vulnerable people, as well as to target health and social workers.