Training programme

Louise Maher (Senior Physiotherapist) writes about a training program that has been developed and delivered in Timor by the disability NGOs (including ASSERT). The course trains people who are working with people with disabilities, in clinics or in the community.

The training program is a collaborative project that was developed to provide to develop local expertise and cadres of human resources for Rehabilitation Services in Timor Leste (Centre and Community Based Rehabilitation - CBR) through participatory, competency based training. The Programa Treinementu Rehabilitasaun was established in 2006.

This is a collaboration of the six project partners (ASSERT, Klibur Domin, TLMI, Katilosa, Ita Nian Uma Clinica Aileu, and The Spastic Centre NSW). Funds were received from local donors (TLMI, ILO, and The British Embassy). Twenty five participants began the Level 1 CBR training program in March 2006. The participants are staff from the disability NGOs, and work across 7 districts of Timor Leste. Due to the civil crisis in Timor Leste in 2006, the conclusion of the training will now not be until June 2007. It is envisaged that the Level 2 training will continue for some of these participants in July- December 2007 at ASSERT as required. The Level 1 CBR training will commence again for 25 new participants in 2008.

Participants will graduate as CBR workers after Level 1. Those who go on with further training will qualify as mid level rehabilitation workers (this includes all the ASSERT participants). The focus of CBR and rehabilitation is on the inclusion of the person with a disability within their community and on accessing local community resources where possible to facilitate their rehabilitation and inclusion within the community.

In CBR, disability issues are viewed not only as problems faced by individuals, but as social problems faced by communities. The training therefore is not a process of transferred information but as a behaviour change process that consists of addressing attitude, knowledge and skills. The participant therefore, will be equipped to consider the change of community behavior as a whole rather than the change of the individual with a disability only.

The first phase of the training program has been a steep learning curve for both the participants and the trainers! The current participants are a great group of committed people, who are doing some fantastic work out in the clinics and communities. It is a long and slow road to developing skills and services for people with disabilities in Timor Leste, but this program feels like a very significant and positive step.