World Rehabilitation Fund (WRF)

Wrf programs in lebanon: wrf was able to continue the effective and efficient implementation of its project titled "filling assistance gaps in basic Rehabilitation services for refugees from syria with disabilities and their peers in host communities in lebanon" (5th year september 30th 2021-september 29, 2022; 6th year september 30, 2022 through september 30, 2023) implemented within the context of a cooperative agreement awarded by the united states department of state's bureau of population, refugees and migration (bprm) as a gift of the united states government. Amazingly, this achievement persists despite the serious challenges facing lebanon, including the devaluation of the national currency, and spiraling socio-economic and political crises. Wrf was able to provide person-specific and personalised direct assistance to 6,103 persons with disabilities (pwds) and persons with temporary functional limitations (ptfl) in need all over lebanon and support architectural accessibility modifications for 38 community services entities to reduce physical barriers to safe accessibility to pwds. Wrf- lebanon conducted community-focused awareness and advocacy (cfaa) interventions on disability, Rehabilitation, and inclusion. Additionally, front-line wrf staff, engaged project beneficiaries and their caregivers in need with psychosocial and mental health advice, self-care and home care advice, health promotion and disease prevention advice, and as needed follow-up. Wrf-lebanon also assisted beneficiaries in need, through its referral system, by connecting them with local and international ngos and service providers in the country that help. Efficient project implementation allowed wrf to exceed set project targets by 14.21%. Assistance services included: -fitted prosthetic and/or orthotic devices, and mobility aids. -Rehabilitation aids, self-care supplies & special Rehabilitation devices. -physical, occupational, psycho-motor, and other therapies. -fitted hearing aids, parental guidance, and initiation to speech therapy. -prescription eyeglasses and visual aids. -basic barrier free alterations and car modifications. The projects implemented during this fiscal year served 6,103 persons with disabilities. Assisted beneficiaries included 3,112 refugees from syria, 2,832 lebanese from host communities, and 156 from other nationalities. As for the type of disability, 2,812 (46.08%) suffered from vision impairments, 2,133 (34.97%) from physical impairments or disabilities, 414 (6.78%) from hearing impairments, 46 from intellectual disabilities (.75%), 23 from autism (0.37%), 585 (9.58%) from multiple disabilities, and 90 from other disabilities (1.47%). 3,328 (51.21%) of these beneficiaries were below 18 years of age. The served beneficiaries were provided with the following services: -2,812 provided vision correction aids, mainly eyeglasses. -1,741 provided Rehabilitation aids and self/home-care supplies. -645 provided with physical, occupational, psycho-motor, and respiratory therapy. -414 among persons with hearing impairments provided with hearing aids. -120 provided with prosthetic devices and 288 with orthotic devices. -156 provided special Rehabilitation devices, mainly electrical wheelchairs, cerebral palsy chairs and patient lifters. -38 provided basic barrier-free home and automobile adaptations. Important to note that several beneficiaries were provided with more than one type of service. This project also enabled wrf to: -support in strengthening and expanding six community-based Rehabilitation (cbr) services programs in 8 different areas. -provide partner native entities with capacity building, coaching, and mentoring. -exercise public awareness and advocacy activities. -contribute to nation-wide coordination efforts. Since the inception of prm funded projects (september 1st, 2017 - june 30, 2023) wrf-lebanon have served more than 24,169 persons with disabilities - as direct beneficiaries. The aid services were valuable in decreasing burden, upgrading functional capabilities, enhancing livelihoods, strengthening protection and safety, nurturing wellbeing, and enhancing inclusion. Wrf was able to maintain its proactive role in advocacy, awareness, expanding understanding, and resource mobilization all in favor of expanding international and native assistance to persons with disabilities (pwds) and initiating and supporting initiatives and interventions aiming at prevention of disabilities. This included: -continuation of proactive coordination with concerned united nations (un) entities (the united nations high commissioner for refugees (unhcr), un office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs (un-ocha), international non-governmental organizations (ingos) active in lebanon, native nation-wide and community based organizations (cbo's), academic and research centers, and the government of lebanon, to understand needs and advance operational capabilities and response, through active involvement in: (i) unhcr led national protection working group, (ii)the inter-agency coordination in lebanon and the "thematic group on community based interventions-; (iii) sectoral and bilateral, central and regional, coordination meetings in lebanon; (iv) reporting results via activityinfo; and (v) discussions with organizations of persons with disabilities (opds), concerned community based organizations (csos), activists, and caregivers. -maintain its coordination role as the "secretariat" of the disability and older age working group (daoawg). The most recent meeting was in may 2023, it engaged more than 25 participants representing more than 20 native, international, and un entities. -continue the distribution of awareness materials produced by un entities, government of lebanon, ingos, csos and academic institutions about health promotion and disease prevention particularly on covid-19 and vaccination, hepatitis a, and mpox to persons with disabilities (pwds) and their caregivers. Short term projects this year, wrf in collaboration with prosthetika have undertaken two prosthetics/orthotics projects in guatemala and ukraine. The guatemala prosthetic assistance project brought together a team of prosthetic specialist and physical therapists using donated funds from anonymous foundation, prosthetics components and volunteer time, provided high quality custom made prosthetic devices at no charge to people with no resources to buy their own prosthesis. The team fitted 22 amputees with prosthetic legs and trained the beneficiaries in their use. 12 local therapists learned the techniques of gait training and post operative limb management. Ukraine prosthetic assistance project: prosthetika and wrf have collaborated along with protez hub, and the ukrainian ministry of social policy to conduct a training in fitting complex catastrophic amputations and to train technicians in the use of improved technology. In june 2023, an international expert team consisting of two prosthetists and two physical therapists travelled to lviv and conducted hands-on training. Participants consisted of 10 prosthetists and 15 physical therapists from various regions of ukraine who travelled to lviv to stay for one week for the training. For practice and demonstration, three amputees were selected for evaluation, prosthetic fitting, and gait training. One was a hip disarticulation amputation, one was a bilateral above the knee amputation, and one was a very short above the knee amputation. All were soldiers injured during ground combat. By the end of the training all patients were fit successfully and were walking with their prostheses. As with all training projects the goal of the project is not to fit as many patients as possible, but rather to transfer knowledge, to build capacity, and to work together, hand in hand, to fit a few amputees successfully using proper, appropriate techniques.