Tarija Asociación Amigos de Niños Excepcionales (ANET) is a private organisation established in 1986, offering education and rehabilitation to young people from Tarija in South Bolivia. cbm support for the school is aimed mainly at blind and deaf students and Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR). Three satellite schools have been established for the blind and deaf in the region, with blind students integrated into regular schools. Here, the president, Father Miguel Donohue, tells us about one of the many beneficiaries of the programme.
"In distant rural communities in Bolivia, it is still possible to find young people with a disability who have never had the opportunity to attend school. In 2006, we found a young blind girl in the community of Ñoquera, seven hours from Tarija. Sixteen-year-old Elvira spent the day talking with her grandparents and doing simple household tasks. She didn’t know how to read or write in Braille, use an abacus or cook, let alone walk around her house or the community with the help of a cane."
"Yet other blind children Elvira’s age were able to attend school with assistance from their community and were now in their final year at high school, already thinking about what college career they would follow. This was possible thanks to the backing of ANET and cbm, which has as its mandate to improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities through education and rehabilitation. Now Elvira hopes to have the same chance as the others."
"Of course all international NGOs concern themselves with the sustainability of the project, but some are more realistic than others. There are few non-governmental organisations that have a policy of supporting local counterparts on a long-term basis. Some even limit the aid they offer to initiate new programs to one year, with the expectation that the local organisation will be able to continue what was started."
"cbm, which celebrates its centennial in 2008, is different. It assists more than 1,000 local initiatives in 100 developing countries, a number of them in Bolivia. cbm is a pioneer in the education of visually handicapped children in the region, providing funds for teachers of the deaf, the construction of centres and the provision of audio equipment in Bolivia. More recently it has been supporting initiatives for CBR programs to reach rural populations."
"cbm, as an international organisation, focuses on prevention, rehabilitation, education and surgical intervention through local counterparts and community-based programs. It values the unity of the cbm family, professionalism, integrity and transparency of communication. For its innovation during the last 100 years, our respect and thanks to cbm!"
