Pacific Disability Forum

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News Title: PDF Weekly Update 25 June 2010

Date Published: 25 June 2010

PDF Weekly Update

 25th June, 2010

 Greetings from the Pacific Disability Forum!

 In the news this week, we take a look at Te Vaerua and the benefit of its services in the Cook Islands; take a glimpse at the disability survey currently underway in Fiji; the First Integrated Archery Competition to be held in Vanuatu and how Wan Smol Bag is preparing for the Olympics and Paralympics days.

 1.                  Te Vaerua seeks support to help them assist Others

(Source: Cook Island News Online – Thursday 10 June 2010)

Te Vaerua Community Rehabilitation Service is here to ‘help individuals to help themselves’ to regain their independence, or improve their quality of lives by assisting them to regain their skills towards participating in everyday activities again that includes work, leisure and community involvement.

Currently people would generally need to go to New Zealand to obtain rehabilitation services from a multi-disciplinary team, but it is Te Vaerua’s aim to bring that service here to ensure we get ongoing, professional support without having to leave the country.

Our focus is rehabilitation, so those on our executive committee are parents, caregivers, family members, individuals with disabilities, or they have personally had rehabilitation in the past.

This provides an acute insight on issues that individuals and families with health and disabilities concerns face everyday as all our committee members have had some personal experiences in this area.

Getting Te Vaerua up and running will take time, as finding the funding to cover the costs of health professionals and general operations is a slow process, but this is a service that has been identified as being a priority for us here in the Cook Islands and Te Vaerua is committed to making it happen!

However, we need you, the community, to help.

Te Vaerua previously received funding from NZAid, but the contract has expired and so we have no resources to fund core rehabilitation services. At present, those services were for care for the elderly and for victims of fish poisoning, motor vehicle crashes, sports injuries, obesity-related conditions and strokes, among other medical conditions.

If anyone would like to donate or help in anyway, please come and see us or contact us anytime.

Te Vaerua Community Rehabilitation Inc

Nikao, Rarotonga, Cook Islands

C/ PO Box 208, Avarua Rarotonga, Cook Islands

Phone: 21 – 080 Fax: 21 – 087

Email: tevarua@gmail.com

 2.                 Mataiti praises Te Vaerua’s rehabilitation service

(Source: Cook Island News Online - Friday 11th June 2010)

Up until three years ago I was very fit, walked across the island on a regular basis and taught young people how to survive the outdoors.

I worked as a senior instructor for the Cook Islands Outdoor Challenge, formerly known as the Cook Islands Outward Bound. I was also a member of the Search and Rescue Team and an instructor and assessor for the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh Awards in the Cook Islands.

I am speaking from my experience on what happened to me.

My life changed dramatically after eating fish (which was a parrot fish from Aitutaki although the fish here in Rarotonga lagoons are also poisonous).

I went through a lot of problems because of fish poison, otherwise known as ciguatera toxin.

All the nerve systems in my whole body just shut down. There were no signs of recovery – I just had a bit of movement with no coordination at all. It was like I’d had a stroke.

This happened in July 2007 and I was sent to New Zealand and was admitted to hospital. I was in New Zealand for 10 months.

While there, I had rehabilitation receiving physiotherapy that helped and encouraged me to get on my feet and walk again, keeping a close eye on every movement I made to see if I progressed.

They had me working in a gym exercising my muscles so that it will work and get back to normal again.

Occupational Therapy taught me how to bathe, go to the toilet, do things in the kitchen and get back to every day tasks. They also provided me with an education on how to cope with daily life again.

Speech Therapy helped me with my speech and the mouth movements to see whether I was pronouncing words right, as well as making sure that my eating, drinking and swallowing were functioning properly.

I also had massages which helped to awaken all the blood systems so that the blood flowed to every part of my body.

The rehabilitation programme really helped me a lot and because of this I am able to do more things since having the fish poison. On my return from New Zealand, I have continued with Physiotherapy through Te Vaerua Community Rehabilitation Service with physiotherapist Rebecca Washbourne and she has been a great help.

From my personal experiences, having a Rehabilitation Service on this island that Te Vaerua is developing is extremely important.

I continue to need physiotherapy on a regular basis and would benefit from Speech and Occupational Therapy.

If we were unable to get this type of service on the island, then I would have to go back to New Zealand to get it and that’s not always easy to do.

The Cook Islands need this service – and our support.

3.                 11,000 with disabilities in Fiji

(Source: Samantha Rina – Fiji Times Online Saturday May 22 2010)

Labasa and Taveuni in Fiji are home to the majority of people living with disabilities.

This was one of the findings revealed by the Fiji National Council for Disabled Persons after a survey earlier this year.

Council project officer Sainimili Tawake said they were now conducting roundtable consultations with every district from which they had gathered information before they published a report of their survey findings in three weeks time.

"Through the survey, we have been able to determine that percentage wise, 19 per cent of Taveuni's populations are people with disabilities, while Labasa has the most people with disabilities which amount to 1800," she said.

Ms Tawake said there were more than 11,000 people with disabilities in Fiji.

"In Taveuni, one of the key findings we discovered was that people with disabilities were subjected to physical and sexual violence. Some of these incidents resulted in non-disabled people acquiring disabilities. In Nabouwalu and Savusavu, the issue of awareness and quality education was also raised," she said.

She said the council was now working on strengthening its structure to cater for the community and people at grassroots level.

"The survey was initially called 'making women with disabilities visible' but we later decided to include boys and men so that we could weigh the disadvantages of women with disabilities thoroughly," she said.

Ms Tawake said they had already conducted consultations in Sigatoka and the Northern Division and were focusing on the Western Division this week before moving to the Central Division next week.

"Although we may have some statistics, we believe these statistics will increase if people actually come forward with information. We wanted to inform people at district level of the results we collected from their areas so that they are aware of it before we release our report," she said.

 4.                 Vanuatu Holds the First Integrated Archery Competition

(Source: Andrew Bynon - Management Support Officer; Vanuatu Paralympic Committee)

At the Archers of Paradise Club at Korman last Saturday, 12th June, the start of the first integrated archery competition in Vanuatu was held. An integrated competition is one where people with a disability compete along side all the other competitors. Archery is a sport for everyone.

 The competition was the first round of the Independence Competition. This competition sees competitors from Central School, Wan Smol Bag, Lycee-Francais, Lycee Louis Antoine de Bougainville and Archers of Paradise, as well as people with disabilities compete. All competitors must shoot four rounds.

 The next round of competition will take place this Saturday, 29 June, 2010.

5.                 Wan Smol Bag Prepares for Olympics and Paralympics Days

(Source: Andrew Bynon - Management Support Officer; Vanuatu Paralympic Committee)

 Last Friday Wan Smol Bag conducted training in Paralympic Sports. Youth at the Wan Smol Bag Youth Centre were shown how to play Sitting Volleyball and Goal ball with training provided from the Vanuatu Paralympic Committee. Paralympic Sports can be played by everyone, including people with a disability. Sitting Volleyball has the same rules as volleyball but is played sitting on the ground.

 Goal ball is similar to handball but all players are blindfolded. Much fun was had by all, both observers and players.

 The training was provided in preparation for the Olympics and Paralympics Days to be held on Thursday and Friday of this week at the Wan Smol Bag YouthCentre in support of the VASANOC Sports Festival.

Olympic Sports will be played this Thursday. There will be competitions in Long Jump, Shot-put, Beach Volleyball, Cycling, Running and more.

And on Friday there will be Paralympic Sports played. There will be competitions in Sitting Volleyball, Goal ball and Wheelchair Races.

The Vanuatu Paralympic Committee will also be running a Wheelchair Tennis Demonstration Event.

That is all for this week. You have a lovely weekend and do keep in touch with PDF.

 Regards,

 From the PDF Team

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