People with disabilities comprise at least 10% of the global population, and approximately 80% of this population lives in the developing world. Despite the Egyptian government’s efforts towards people with a disability and their families, they still remain the most marginalised and underprivileged members of their communities.

They lack sufficient education and employment opportunities and  are often excluded from social and economic interactions within the community. 

Community-based rehabilitation

Stigma associated with disability has slowly vanished from the community and parents no longer lock up their disabled children or abandon them in the streets.

Through our community-based rehabilitation (CBR) programme, we work  to ensure that people with disabilities are empowered, and are actively contributing to the community. We also focus on capacity building, participation in decision- making as well as promoting and protecting their rights through their inclusion in family and community life.

The programme strategy reflects a major shift in dealing with disabilities from medical to rights-based models and  includes networking, alliances, partnerships, programme replication and scale up, and advocacy.

Achievements

Plan has reached more than 5,000 children with disabilities, their families and 22 communities in the governorates of Cairo, Qualiubia, 6th of October, Alexandria and Beheira.

More than 100  volunteers are now fully capable of planning and managing CBR activities on a daily bases independently.

Key partners and networks

Caritas, local organisations, community development associations (CDAs) and organisations of people with disabilities, Ministry of Social Solidarity, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Family and Population as governmental partners.

Plan Egypt is a member of the CBR network that includes Caritas-SETI, Coptic Evangelical Organisations for Social Services, Terre des Hommes, Handicap International, Association of Upper Egypt, COSPI and the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood.

Success story

"My name is Sayeda. My husband works as an ambulance driver. My daughter Neama is 9 years old, and she suffers from a physical disability and speech impairment. Before the CBR programme, she was imprisoned in the house because we were afraid that she might hurt herself if we let her outside. But since joining the programme, she is now able to go out and visits the CDA. People have started to look at her differently and have offered us more emotional support.”