[Management of motor disability in rural Sahelian environment. Experience of the center for rehabilitation and devices in Bogande, Burkina Faso]

Abstract

The center for rehabilitation and fitting of the disabled in Bogande, Burkina Faso has been in operation since 1992. It was created by a non-governmental organization named Actions de Solidarité Internationale (ASI). The primary goal of the center is to provide support devices to restore upright position and mobility and allow social reinsertion especially for disabled persons between the ages of 0 and 20 years. Approximately one hundred people are treated annually. Treatment is delivered either directly in villages or in dispensaries if the disabled person can be brought in with the assistance of family members or health care workers. This policy has enhanced the quality of information, training, and prevention. Patients with severe disabilities beyond the scope of treatment at the center are contraindicated. The activities of the center have been organized with a view to covering costs. A welding shop has been set up to produce aid devices and provide revenues to pay for some services. The major lessons of this experience involve the need for active recruitment in villages, for contraindicating patients with severe untreatable disability, for developing economically sustainable programs, for training management staff, and for good financial planning. In 4 years of operation, the rehabilitation and fitting center has demonstrated its ability to meet the needs of the disabled in Bogande.