What we do exactly

A mobile diagnostic team regularly travels to remote villages and sees children with disabilities and their parents in the villages of Karongi District. They educate on how a disability develops and how to mitigate its effects. If there is no diagnosis yet, the diagnosis is the first step to accompany and support the family.
The mobile diagnosis team, consisting of a doctor, a physiotherapist, an orthopedic technician a psychologist and a manager, examines the children with disabilities in close cooperation with the CHW and decides whether an orthopaedic aid, orthopaedic surgery or targeted physiotherapy to facilitate mobility or integration is appropriate.
The team sits down with the child’s family to make the decision about therapy, treatment or further measures. This data collection is scientifically monitored, recorded and mapped.
Further counselling and aftercare is determined.
If necessary, the provision of aids and appropriate instruction and training of the affected children
and families is initiated.
At regular intervals, the mobile team visits the villages and see their young patients in order to support them in their development. At the same time, the team works – always in close cooperation with the CHW and the local authorities – to encourage the population and especially the parents concerned to change their attitude towards children and young people with disabilities.

The local team assesses the provision of local health services and determines the acute health needs and possible options for action, taking into account the available resources. For this purpose, the diagnostic team uses an all-terrain car as a rolling practice van with appropriate equipment and refrigerated backpacks or cool boxes for transporting blood samples and vaccinations (e.g. measles, polio, HPV, Covid-19 and others).
If surgical procedures are required, children are referred to appropriate clinics.

The therapists advise parents and relatives on the proper treatment of children (e.g. pressure sore
prophylaxis, exercise therapy, etc.) as well as on preventive measures with an educational
campaign (hygiene, malnutrition, family planning). Relatives are informed or trained analogue and
digitally so that the family members can help their children themselves, e.g. through physiotherapy
or mobility exercises. This measure is intended to prevent possible consequential damage.

After the diagnosis and treatment plan, the affected patients are measured orthopaedically. Every person is different: body measurements, personal characteristics, the functional abilities of the affected person are individually very different. The same applies to personal life circumstances, age and/or the home or spatial environment. All this is taken into account and the adapted wheelchair is put together according to a so-called modular system. The orthopedic technician of the mobile team also repairs and maintains existing equipment and provides mini tool sets so that screws can be tightened and tyres patched if necessary.

The visits of the mobile diagnostic team to the villages is an innovative approach that is very
service-oriented and reaches the people where they live. Due to their disabilities and poor
infrastructure in rural areas, they find it difficult to access such services. Treatment centres for
people with disabilities are good and important, but simply not accessible for many people with
disabilities living in rural areas. Therefore, it is important to provide them with the help in their
immediate environment.

To leave no one behind, no mountain is too high and no distance too far for the mobile team.