Children whose lives are affected by the poverty and malnutrition around them have the right to extra help with education and social development.  This is the concept behind International Service’s Anniversary Appeal Project for Bolivia.
While many children work in developing countries, child labourers (those for whom conditions of work prevent school attendance, good health and time for play and rest) may not even get to school.
The reasons for this, and the solutions for one rural area, are what this project is all about.
 

International Service has worked in Bolivia since 1978 and in the field of support for
special needs children and the professionals who work with them. The focus of this project in the municipality of Tiquipaya broadens our experience by looking to include street children and child labourers in the target group for help and support.
 

Children in Bolivia, like those in other very poor countries, face a range of difficulties and hardships. One fifth of Bolivia’s children and adolescents must work to bring family income to subsistence level. Over half of that group has never set foot in a school or have abandoned any formal schooling. 
The poor performance of children who do attend school is partly due to the poverty and malnutrition that mark their lives. Physical and mental disability occurs in about 10% of children, and special facilities, particularly in rural areas, are far from adequate.
 

Nearly half the children in school are seriously under-performing in rural areas of Bolivia. 
Mainstream education is being strengthened and reformed as part of the country’s Poverty Reduction Strategy.  However, the needs of this whole range of children with special needs -  whether through disability, the need to earn money, or simply through living on the streets -  are not receiving equal attention.

With about 60% of the population of Tiquipaya, located in the Department of Cochabamba, living in poverty, malnutrition is high in the area, and there is a very low literacy rate.  Add to this the difficulties of crop loss, soil erosion and a lack of productive infrastructure, and you begin to see why the children of the area are at special risk.
The municipality of Tiquipaya, together with local and community-based organisations and IS, will work to construct and run a Centre for Children at Risk. Children will receive support, special care and help to develop social skills. Appropriate assistance will be available to those children with special physical needs, but no distinction will be made between the children, creating a model of inclusivity. 

As well as the establishment of a Centre for Children at Risk, the project will take on two other important tasks. It will co-ordinate the work of other organisations dealing with children in the area, offering a chance to share good practice and learn from each other. In everything it does, the Centre will seek the active participation of parents and families. In this way whole communities will benefit immediately from the work of the project.

The project budget is £60,820 over two years.  Of this £12,820 will go to constructing the Centre, for which land will be provided by the municipality. Furniture and educational materials account for £8,000, and two locally-recruited staff will cost £20,000. An International Service Development Worker will be recruited for the project, and £20,000 will go towards his or her travel, living and accommodation, training and insurance costs.

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International Service has worked through 

volunteer health professionals and 

Brazilian health care providers in the 

Amazonian States for many years. 
Now we have been asked by the Women’s 

Secretariat of the Rubber Tappers Council 

to help them tackle one of the most difficult 

challenges: bringing information about 

health and nutrition to the women living 

in the forests. 

What is the Rubber Tappers Council? Founded in 1985 during the first national 

meeting of rubber tappers, the Council was formed to protect the forest and 

the people who depend on it from devastation by multinational interests. The 

grassroots movement represents a whole range of forest peoples, not just those 

who extract rubber. Fishermen, agricultural workers, women who collect babaçu 

(a variety of coconut), people who depend on other forest products: all benefit 

from the Council’s work to defend the historic rights of the people whose lives 

are linked to the forest. 

What does the Rubber Tappers Council do? Included in the aims of the Council are: 

• to represent the interests of rubber tappers, river communities and rural 
  workers of the Amazon

• to work for the immediate improvement of the quality of life of the forest 
  people including health and education services and workers’ co-operatives. 

• to promote cultural displays that value the art, folklore and crafts of the 
  region, preserving the traditional way of life of the forest people. 

The Women’s Secretariat of the Rubber 

Tappers Council works with the rural women 

in all eight of the Amazonian States, Amazonas, 

Pará, Acre, Amapá, Rondônia, Roraima, 

Tocantins and Mato Grosso. 
The specific aim is to help them recognise their 
rights and to encourage them to find greater 
security and well-being for themselves and their 
families. 
This involves many things: extending economic 

activity, improving diets through growing 

a greater variety of foods, a better 

understanding of basic health care. 

The women of Brazil, like women in many other developing countries, earn less and 

are more frequently unemployed than are the men. Assisting women, particularly in 

rural areas, is an investment in the well-being of the whole population: women are 

the main carers of children and families. Many rural women have little knowledge of 

basic health issues, including the functioning of their own and their children’s bodies. 

They may have no idea of their rights concerning health care. 

International Service plans to begin work with the Women’s Secretariat to strengthen 

their ability to respond to this need. Working through community meetings, workshops 

and educational materials, the project plan is to bring health information in ways that 

are accessible and relevant. Transportation costs are an important part of the budget, 

given the extent of the Amazonian States: some women are reachable only by plane. 

An International Service development worker who is a qualified health professional will 

be sought to work with the Secretariat. The project budget is £55,000 over two years. 

Transport costs account for £4,000 of the total; local staff costs, £11,000. Meetings 

and workshops will account for £20,000 of the total amount. The remaining £20,000 

will go toward the provision of the volunteer health professional’s recruitment, living 

and travel costs.

If you would like to make a donation to this appeal please click here

People with disabilities have the right to earn their living and be included in productive 

society. That is the basic belief behind the Anniversary Appeal Project from Burkina 

Faso in West Africa. Of the country’s population of 10 million, one million are living 

with a disability. The struggle to survive is very difficult. People with a disability are 

often excluded from social, political and economic activities. 

International Service has worked in 

close co-operation with Burkina Faso’s 

network of agencies concerned with the 

rights and opportunities of people with 

disabilities for several years. 
Our partner organisation FEBAH (Federation 

of Burkinabé Associations for the 

Promotion of Disabled People) has 

developed a plan to establish a Training 

Centre to extend appropriate vocational 

training to many more of Burkina’s 

disabled people. 

What is FEBAH? Established in 1992, FEBAH is an umbrella organisation linking 

about 250 smaller groups of people with disabilities. Many types of disability 

are represented: sight and hearing impairment, motor and mental disabilities. 

FEBAH’s aims are extensive and visionary as well as practical. 

They include: 

• enabling people with disabilities to make their voices heard and to actively 
  participate in the economic, social and cultural life of the country.

• representing disabled peoples’ organisations in national and regional decision
  making forums to ensure government and regional policies benefit everyone. 

• supporting people with disabilities with training and social support to ensure 
  full integration into society. 

What will the FEBAH Training Centre provide? 
The Centre aims to provide training in appropriate skills and give people with disabilities 
the chance to earn a living for themselves and their families. As well as this, the Centre 
will provide the opportunity for people to meet and mix, build up confidence and share 
experiences. Fewer people will resort to begging on the streets, a benefit to the whole 
country. 

How will the FEBAH Training Centre operate? 
As with most of the organisations for people with disabilities in Burkina Faso, the Training 
Centre will be run by disabled people themselves. Through consultation with a number of 
groups, FEBAH has decided that the initial skills training will go to trainers who can then 
carry out further training in the rural areas, reaching people who are isolated. 

An awareness programme is planned to 

help people to understand the causes of 

disabilities. This is for two reasons. Some 

disabilities are preventable through better 

health awareness. There is much 

misunderstanding and prejudice about the 

causes of disability, and this, too, needs 

to be tackled. 

Skills training and literacy work will form the core of the Centre’s programme. 

Metalwork including bicycle and plough repair work and the production of kitchen 

and farming equipment will be taught. Arts and crafts skills include the production 

of chairs, shoes and other leather items, tables and clothing. Basic literacy classes 

will be held as the Centre develops and a small shop will be established as one 

outlet for the goods produced. 

The project budget is £56,500 for three years. Initial capital costs amount to £35,800, 

including £13,000 for the building and equipping of the metalwork room, £5,000 for 

the arts and crafts room and provision for the training room, shop, office, toilets, 

vehicle and perimeter wall. The remaining £20,700 will cover yearly costs for all 

training, a Centre manager and watchman and vehicle servicing. 

If you would like to make a donation to this appeal please click here

Children and young people have the right to education and skills training that will 

prepare them for productive adult lives. This basic belief is behind the Anniversary 

Appeal Project from Mali in West Africa. Over 46% of Mali’s people are under 15 

years old and UNESCO statistics confirm that school enrolment is well below the 

average for Sub-Saharan Africa. This, together with Mali’s overall level of poverty, 

mean that the number of children living and working on the streets of Bamako, 

Mali’s capital city, continues to grow. 

International Service has worked for four 

years with some of the groups involved 

in supporting vulnerable children and 

young people who leave home to work in 

cities. Now J&D (Jeunesse et Développement: 

Youth and Development) has asked 

International Service to help them establish a

centre for disadvantaged young people where 

vocational skills, as well as social and 

educational activities, can happen. 

What is J&D? 
Founded in 1993, J&D is a national organisation working to enable young people to 
develop their potential: through community development, the provision of education, 
employment opportunities, greater self-confidence and leadership skills. It is a type of 
work that is desperately needed in a society where poverty alone may force young people 
onto the streets to earn money from a young age. It is a common sight to see young 
children leading blind relatives along the streets, dashing between cars at traffic lights to 
clean windows, selling cigarettes or other items, shining shoes or simply begging. 

The “Bamako Declaration” 
In a groundbreaking venture, J&D organised 

an international consultation in November 

2000 bringing together street children and 

those working with them from four West 

African countries. After nine days of 

discussion and debate, the young people 

spoke for themselves about their hopes 

and needs for the future. The resulting 

“Bamako Declaration” guides the work 

of J&D. The Declaration calls for a better 

understanding of the needs of children 

within families and local and national 

government and for the voices of 

children to be heard. 

What will happen at the Centre? 
The Centre will be open to all young people, but will cater particularly to the needs of those 
young people who already feel “different” or isolated. 

The aim is for the Centre to provide: 

• access to employment and training

• literacy, numeracy and business management classes as needed 

• counselling and advice on services available to young people 

• sports and games, leisure and cultural activities 

• information about reproductive health

Two ideas central to the project are co-operation with other organisations and 

management by the young people themselves. The Centre will work with other 

organisations in the area such as schools, health clinics and savings banks to gain 

access to basic services for young people. Links with local trades people who are 

willing to offer training opportunities and eventually employment will also be developed. 

Young people themselves will play a key role in the running and management of the 

Centre, which will be staffed by J&D workers. 

The project budget is £55,000 over two years. Of this, £15,000 with cover the 

rent, running costs and activities of the Centre. Local staff salaries will take 

£12,000; £3,500 will be spent on capital costs: furniture, sports and games 

equipment and arts and crafts materials. A fund of £4,500 will be earmarked 

to assist small business initiatives, employment and training schemes devised 

by the young people. An International Service Development Worker will be 

employed to build J&D’s capacity as a lobbying and advocating for the needs of 

disadvantaged children, and £20,000 will go towards those recruitment, living and 

travel costs.

If you would like to make a donation to this appeal please click here

People caught up in hostilities have the right to medical care after injury, including 
physical and psychiatric rehabilitation. This is the belief behind the Anniversary 

Appeal Project from our Palestine Field Office. Access to medical care and to 

rehabilitation after injury for Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip has always been 

limited. The current crisis has increased the numbers of people suffering serious 

injury and trauma, and the one rehabilitation hospital functioning in Gaza needs 

urgent repairs and renovation to help it meet this need. 

International Service has worked 

with partners in the West Bank and 

Gaza since 1979 and has recruited 

development workers with skills in 

human rights law, art therapy, 

agricultural development and much 

more. As the situation in the Occupied 

Palestinian Territories becomes 

increasingly difficult, the challenges 

faced by ordinary Palestinians trying to 

live out their daily lives increase. Travel 

is severely restricted by Israeli check 

points; daily activities such as shopping 

and going to school are restricted by 

curfews. Our partners in Palestine struggle 

to provide services and support in 

conditions that change from day to day. 

What is the El Wafa Medical Rehabilitation Hospital? Founded in 1996, El Wafa is 

a non-governmental Palestinian hospital and the only rehabilitation hospital in 

the Gaza Strip offering in-patient medical rehabilitation services for people 

coping with physical disabilities caused by head and spinal cord injuries, 

fractures, strokes and other conditions. In its six-year history the hospital 

has over 6,500 patients, the great majority of them out-patients. Ground-floor 

facilities where most out-patients are in the process of renovation. Now El Wafa 

hopes to establish an “Assistive Technology Unit” with a range of equipment to 

speed up the rehabilitation process and improve the quality of life of many patients. 

Since the start of the second Intifada 

and the increase of injury caused by 

incursions into occupied territories, El 

Wafa has provided rehabilitation 

services without cost to those caught 

up in violence who could not afford 

treatments. Because of travel 

restrictions, people living in Gaza 

South are unable to reach El Wafa 

Hospital in Gaza City. The hospital’s 

“outreach programme” goes directly 

to patients in that area whenever 

possible. What is an “Assistive 

Technology Unit”? Assistive technology 

enables people with injuries and 

disabilities to accomplish daily tasks, 

increasing their independence and 

greatly improving their quality of life. 

This technology can speed the rehabilitation process, improve a person’s

 capacity to learn, communicate and even become financially self-sufficient. 

Some examples of assistive technology are:

• Communication aids, to help people with little or no speech, impaired sight or 
  other conditions that limit communication skills, such as speech synthesisers, 
  Braille devices or modified typewriters. 

• Computer access aids, both hardware and software , for example, voice to text 
  software and touch screens. 

• Daily living aids to make bathing, cooking dressing and home maintenance easier. 

• This includes adapted eating utensils, grab bars, grips and handles for 
  around the home, and much more. · environmental aids including adapted 
  control and switches at home, ramps and disabled toilet facilities at workplaces. · 

• Recreation and leisure aids, to make some sports and cultural activities 
  accessible to people with disabilities. 

The project budget is £55,000. Work can be done as soon as funding becomes 

available. This work will help El Wafa better cope with the 80 patients each day, 

on average, who come for treatment. 

If you would like to make a donation to this appeal please click here

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