Annual Performance Report : March  2004 and March  2005

The Society for Protection of Handicapped Children and Youth (SPHCY)

Introduction: 

Over viewing the modern global developments in the last two decades of the twentieth century and the outset years of the twenty first century illustrates a more serious movement of the societies towards expanding people’s role in determining their own predestination and democratic growth.

During the recent years positive developments towards the growth of the civil society have taken place in Iran too, the result of which has been an augmentation in the number of non-governmental organizations on various issues, inter alia, cultural, social, economical, political, environmental and developmental. The infrastructure for activating the civil society organizations in order to promote citizens’ empowers lies within the abatement process of the government’s incumbency. Consequently the utilization of their empowers in resolving problems on local, national and international levels is of a special value. One of the most important developmental indicators in the countries is the human resource development which will ascertain the enhancement of all society members in both quantity and quality aspects. Handicapped people, as the largest minority present in all societies, particularly in the southern countries are in need of special and effective outlook and measures from the governmental sector, as the infrastructure and the facilitator and from the people’s organizations as pressurizing critics, implementer and supportive at times. Drawing on the handicapped non-governmental organizations’ role in the recent years implies the general belief that such individuals have to be formed into the civil society’s bodies in order to accomplish their claims. Considering the few existing experiences within the country and over viewing all the strives and activities conducted abroad in which the handicapped endeavors for achieving their claims does neither have a good order nor is it desirably harmonized shows that help in promoting the potential capabilities of this stratum of the society will help to better succeed in achieving their civil and humanitarian rights. This will particularly be true if Community Based Rehabilitation becomes the pattern of the practice. The Society for the Protection of the Handicapped Children and youth (SPHCY), as a non-governmental organization was registered in 1999 in order to fulfil the aforementioned facts and enhance the physical and scientific potential capacities of the handicapped people. It is worth mentioning that in January 2004, in response to the earthquake in Bam, a Multi-Factional Complex was established by this society, providing assistance to the victims of the earthquake.

The Board of Directors of SPHCY thanks all those who supported the society in reaching its goals. In 2005, along with free Rehabilitation services and Rehabilitating Based on the Community (C.B.R), the society performed the following activities:

  1. Expert activities:
  • 1401 hours of occupational therapy services
  • 423 hours of physiotherapy
  • 1324 hours of speech therapy
  • 192 hours of toy and educational therapy
  • 24 week of nutrition counseling and educating sessions for the mothers of the handicapped people
  • Continuum hydrotherapy services in collaboration with Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army’s Force held at the Army’s club
  1. Meetings held at the society’s venue:
  • Group meetings to empower the parents of the disabled children to better their inter-communication
  • Society’s fifth anniversary of establishment with the presence of experts, people in charge and the charity people who had cooperated with the society.
  1. Lateral activities:
  • Cooperation with the Special Education Organization of the Education Ministry
  • Direct collaboration with The Welfare Sciences university, Iran Medical Sciences university and Tehran university aimed at the final year undergraduates in various fields of Rehabilitation courses for admission to job training.
  • Presentation of articles and conducting interviews with the media in order to raise the general awareness on the handicapped phenomenon.
  • Preparation of the concerned report on the measure of improvement of the handicapped children so as to evaluate the impact of the Rehabilitation services.
  • Collaboration with other non-governmental organizations concerning the handicapped people in order to convene a network for better attainment of the common goals
  • Considering the importance of preparation of literacy on empowering and Rehabilitating Based on the Community, the society took some measures in publishing the Rehabilitation Bulletins last year. To this date three issues of this publication have been provided for the public.
  • In collaboration with The Welfare Organization, this society has recommended those disabled children and youth to the aforesaid organization in order to benefit from the rehabilitation services in the centers under the coverage of The Welfare Organization with utter discount.
  • Forwarding the names and number of these handicapped children and youth under the society’s coverage, to The Welfare Organization.
  • Participation in concerned meetings, conferences and workshops.
  • Dissemination of information to the families and other societies about the society’s services in order to best use the facilities of the society.
  1. The activities in the earth quaked City of Bam:
  • Presentation of particular rehabilitation services (including physiotherapy, occupational and educational therapy) to a large group of those children, women and men who have been adversely affected by the earthquake and have had, inter alia, spinal and limb damages, pelvis fracture and broken arms and legs. To this date the services to the victims of the Bam earthquake have been over 3548 per person per hour.