Poverty, Disability, and Development
Poverty and associated health, nutrition, and social factors prevent at least 200 million children in developing countries from attaining their developmental potential. Cerebral palsy is a disorder that afflicts children of all races, religions, socioeconomic status, and geographical location. Poverty and malnutrition exacerbates its effects in developing countries, where the resources allocated to addressing cerebral palsy are consequentially limited. Children with disabilities in Vietnam assume sedentary lifestyles from childhood or infancy and subsist on limited nutritional intake.
Developmental disabilities when coupled with malnutrition and a sedentary lifestyle can severely inhibit development in infants and children. Social and cognitive stimulation are crucial to the neurological and psychological development of the child. Studies have shown that optimized cognitive and tactile stimulation can help to improve learning, enhance visual, auditory, and somatosensory receptiveness, strengthen immune system, and increase alertness in infants and children. In addition, with lack of muscle use, children face a much higher risk of muscle deterioration and atrophy. Therapists stress the need for early therapeutic intervention to maximize motor development of cerebral palsy children.
At the heart of the problem is not lack of motivation to help, but a lack of resources. On any given day at Thien Duyen, there are only a 1-2 caregivers taking care of more than 50 children with severe disabilities. In addition, monetary limitations prevent the long-term sustainability of any adequate nutrition or therapy program.
Our Approach
We use the orphanage as the center for community development and health promotion. By galvanizing local community volunteers as part-time caregivers to the children, we are both addressing the shortage in human resources as well as promoting community development and philantrophy. We provide long-term, institutional changes to the orphanage and the community as opposed to mere introductions of therapies. We work with each orphanage for 2-3 years to ensure the sustainability of the program. At the heart of our program is a curriculum aimed:
- to sustain a nutritional therapy program structured to optimize infant and child development
- to provide the children with sufficient opportunities to interact with volunteers, caregivers, and each other to maximize their neurological and psychological development
- to encourage the children to become more active and self-sufficient through the implementation of therapies designed to increase their motor control and coordination
- and to inspire a dialogue among the youth and the community regarding developmental disabilities