China

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The organization has been operating in China since 1998.

Context

• The coastal region and the cities in China are well-off. However, there is a vast amount of people living in poor rural Western Regions. The annual pro capita income there is often not more then 90 Euro. People with disabilities in those areas represent the most vulnerable group with virtually no access to basic health care, rehabilitation and education.
• There are in China about 80 million people with a disability, representing more than 6% of the total population.
• 94% of children in Chinese orphanages are disabled. The number of orphans is annually growing by 20%.
• China has the ambition to provide all its people in need access to rehabilitation services by 2015. Current activities Handicap International currently manages the following programs in China:
  Tibet Program Handicap International has been operating in Tibet since 2001, in close cooperation with the Tibet Disabled Persons’ Federation. It is today one of the largest NGO working there, with the following projects:
• Community-Based Rehabilitation: the objective is to improve the socio-economic conditions of
  children with disability and their parents by establishing a “community service” that can provide basic rehabilitation treatment, referral to specialized assistance (schools, hospitals, orthopedic workshop, vocational training…), facilitate integration and provide families with appropriate support.
• Orthopedic Workshop: Handicap International supported the creation of the Lhasa Orthopedic Workshop, which opened in August 2001, and continues to support its functioning and development.
• Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation: Handicap International provides technical support (training and follow-up of therapists, guidance in terms of administration and patient management…) and equipment to the Lhasa orthopedic workshop and to the Lhasa rehabilitation center.
• Tibetan Sign Language: the project was established in 2001 in order to standardize existing sign language and develop new signs for deaf people in Tibet and thus enhance communication amongst deaf Tibetans. The project also aims to promote the sign language among the hearing community, raise awareness about the conditions of deaf people and support their integration in the society.

Activities

1) Guangxi Program
Handicap International has been operating in Guangxi province since 1998, in close cooperation with theGuangxi Disabled Persons’ Federation, the Guangxi Department of Health and the Guangxi Dermatology Institute.
From 1998 to 2005, Handicap International developed a program to support people affected with leprosy.
The program included the following components: disability prevention, rehabilitation, income generation,and access to schools.
Since 2006, Handicap International supports the Guangxi Disabled Persons’ Federation in establishing a support network for children with CP (cerebral palsy) and CD (cognitive delay). Activities mainly consist in conducting surveys, developing training materials for rehabilitation workers and setting up a referral system for CP/CD children.

2) West Sichuan Integrated Disability Program
Handicap International has been operating in Sichuan province since 2005, in close cooperation with the Yuexi County People’s government and the Yuexi County Disabled Persons’ Federation.
The program is part of a multi-cooperation poverty alleviation program involving the Chinese Government, the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and the World Bank.
This is a pilot program that combines prevention of disabilities, physical rehabilitation and social inclusion of people with disability. The strategy developed in this program will in later stage be used by the Chinese authorities for disability action in many other rural areas.

3) Orphanage Project
More than 90% of children in China’s Children Welfare Institutes have a disability. In the light of this, Handicap International is working, in close cooperation with the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA), to develop training material on special care and to establish a nationwide certification system for substitute caregivers. It is expected that training and examination of caregivers in orphanages will increase their professional skills, and as a result give disabled orphans comprehensive care so that their potential may be fully developed.

Local partners

• Handicap International maintains close relationships with the China Disabled Persons’ Federation to exchange information and ideas on disability related issues
• Handicap International works together with the Chinese Association for Arms Control and Disarmament to find solutions for landmine related problems
• Department of Health
• Provincial Hospital
• Institute of Dermatology in Guangxi
• HANDA, a Chinese NGO supporting self-help by victims of leprosy
• Jatson Chumig school in Lhasa
• Associations, social structures and local initiatives to benefit disabled people.
• Handicap International is backing-up support for people with a disability in North-Korea

Resources
Handicap International currently employs more than 40 people in China and has a total budget of 1.4 million EUR.

Contact
For further information, do not hesitate to contact:
Jean Van Wetter
China Country Director
Handicap International
1-1-11 Qi Jiayuan Diplomatic Compound, 100600 Beijing - PRC
Tel. (+ 86) 10 6532 0219, 010-8532 2332
Email: director@handicap-int.org.cn