GhanaVisitFeb2013

Meeting Alex Trusdell from Adaptive Design in New York- inspirational work making individualised equipment from trifluted cardboard. Wonderfully fitted this in at Heathrow before Jane and Jean left for Ghana

Behold..

The New Workshop at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra!

On Monday 11th 7 parents will be learning Appropriate Paper-based Technology  techniques and how to make assisitve chairs and standing frames for children.

Jane checking the standing frame (actually looking for our teabags!)

 - note the beautiful painted pink walls

Betty from the Physiotherapy Department, next door, visiting to greet us.

So an Exciting new venture.....

BIG Thankyous to everyone for helping with WORK in UK and Ghana, contributions in financing the containers and visits, good wishes and prayers.

Training in Burkina Faso

Marian has been to Burkina Faso again, this time to Koupela. 

Here are some pictures of the course to show how well the standing frames and chairs were made and also some with the children using them.

 Trying the insert in the chair

Putting together the pieces of the standing frame

Strapping the standing frame - see cup-holders in front

Frame drying

Making a bench

 

on left H is trying a chair ( too small)  which was made during the preparation week as demonstration model - still very happy to think of getting his own made-to-measure chair. The on right He in his chair all happy with Dominique, the chairman of the Baadtenga organisation for people with a handicap working together with the rehab centre . They will go on with APT together with the 2 other lady participants / members of the organisation and Annelies, the Belgium Physiotherapist, the organiser of this course and Nowee the Pysio assistant in Baadtenga. He translated every thing in Moree for the 3 people who did not talk French very well 

Training in Burundi

 Paper Furniture Volunteers helping Marian (above on right) prepare to go to Burundi 

with Handicap International. 

She was getting ready to teach APT techniques and needed to have some examples.

All relaxing after work!

 The finished chair showing Ama's gorilla

 Planning

 Making paste

 Insert supports emerging

Checking

 Shaking cement dust out of bags and pasting on final layer

 Looking good

Plaster of Paris inserts were made as well

 APT inserts seats!!

Training with Able Child Africa at Child Support Trust Tanzania

 Janet and John got safely to Tanzania for the training people from Child Support Trust in Mbeya. 

They run and school for child with disabilities

                            John carrying box of teaching examples - it arrived a few days later!

A good way to practice the techniques is to make a small stool/bench

Measuring using the chair made by Paper Furniture Volunteers

Calculations

Making with a stone helping!

Checking

Chair too small

Chair just right!

Cerebral Palsy Africa

As you can see they made toys too.....

 What an achievement!

Bye!!

Working with Able Child Africa and Child Support Trust, Tanzania

Janet and John have gone to run a course in Tanzania.
Paper Furniture Volunteers helped by making some teaching models for them to take as examples.

NEWS from Janet today

When  Noelah(Director) took us to the Child Support Tanzania base on Monday, all of the participants were waiting for us, a huge supply of corrugated cardboard boxes had been collected and they were raring to go.  We just decided to spent a little time on introductions and outlined the process of APT explaining that they would learn through practical hands-on teaching.  The following day, we showed them how to cut and laminate the board, and cut a large supply for future pasting. So, by the end of our now official First Day we have a huge supply of pasted board in the drying frames.
Everyone is so eager to learn, and at the end of the day yesterday James (a young man from Uganda) said he thanked  God for all that he had learned, and also for his good teachers.  What a lovely encouragement for us!