DUSHANBE (TCA) — The Branch of the German Caritas Association in Tajikistan (CARITAS), with financial support of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has announced the launch of a new one-year Community Mobilization and Community-Based Rehabilitation project that will operate in 8 selected jamoats (Gharm, Qal’ai Surkh, Qal’anak, Navdi, Nusratullo Makhsum, Navobod, Jafr and Tagoba) of Tajikistan’s Rasht district.
CARITAS’s Country Representative Parvina Tajibaeva and Deputy Chairman of Rasht District Sharifzoda Hamdullo Hoji opened the event on February 27 which was attended by representatives from Local Government Authority, UNICEF, international and public organizations, as well as the private sector, persons with disabilities (PWDs) and other stakeholders.
“The project is part of the National Program for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities for 2017-2020 years, implemented and supported by the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan in partnership with development partners,” said Parvina Tajibaeva, adding that it would contribute to the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of PWDs signed by Tajik president Emomali Rahmon last year.
This project is the extension of a five-year Communication for Social Change Strategy developed by UNICEF in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population of Tajikistan and it aims to build a more inclusive society by improving the understanding of disability, reducing stigma and promoting Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) program. It is expected that 90 children with disabilities (CWDs) are provided with Community and Home-Based Rehabilitation services and active participation of PWDs and their families in the community is enhanced.
Rasht district is located in south-eastern part of Tajikistan with its total population of around 130,000. According to official statistics, there are 1860 PWDs of which 285 are CWDs. Despite the fact that some state agencies and institutions on social protection of PWDs function in the center of Rasht district, women and men with disabilities and parents of CWDs living in remote villages have little access to information about their rights and their awareness on disability is generally limited.
In partnership with the local Public Organization “Gharm Support Center”, CARITAS’s experts will train 5 staff of partner organization and at least 12 CBR workers who will contribute to social change by improving the understanding of disability issues and changing the community’s behaviors and attitudes towards PWDs.
CARITAS has been working since 2010 towards in rural areas of the country with the projects, which are aimed at improving the quality of the life and social inclusion of PWDs through the implementation of CBR program.
