Comment CPA on this touching story:
The story is horrible and tragic, but sadly enough not exceptional: mercy killing is an issue that can’t be ignored.
The effects for children with (severe) NDD in CBR programs are often still too low with high costs.
There is a need to improve services for children with (severe) NDD, through better skills for CBR workers and a better, more functional approach.
CPA aims to facilitate such a better approach which at least stops useless and too often torturing (unnecessary passive stretching) therapy, with costly non-functional devices, useless medicines and fake prayers, Caused by both lack of knowledge but also sometimes a deliberate moneymaking attitude: taking advantage of desperate parents who only want the best for their child.
All such components frustrates and disappoints parents, caused by unrealistic (sometimes even deliberately false) expectations, and leads to more poverty, with despair leading to tragedies as described in this story from Ghana.
Fortunately more and more CBR programs start realizing results for children with (severe) NDD needs to be improved, for which they need to change their routine-approach. CPA aims, through training and practical tools, to contribute to a more functional approach, with realistic goal setting, operating within a CBR strategy and with a key role for parents (mothers) in improving quality of life and in creating support (day care) structures.