– A range of educational services are offered throughout Ethiopia by Cheshire Services and the Cheshire Foundation Ethiopia. These include pre-school education as well as advocacy and awareness education run by the Addis Ababa Cheshire Project.
Economic empowerment – One example of a Cheshire economic empowerment programme in Ethiopia is the Cheshire on the Street Project, which was started in 2002 in Addis Ababa. This targets young homeless people with disabilities who live on the streets of the city. It provides the youth with vocational training in a range of skills including sewing, leatherwork, embroidery, weaving and auto mechanics, as well as offering educational support, bathing facilities, counselling and basic primary health information. Many other economic empowerment programmes aimed at individuals with disabilities are run throughout Ethiopia.
Health and rehabilitation – The Cheshire Awassa (Integrated Community Rehabilitation Centre) Physiotherapy and Orthopaedic Centre works with the local community to assess and follow up on new cases of children and young people with disabilities who require walking appliances. Plans for a physiotherapy and orthopaedic complex in Awassa are now underway with the first phase of the building currently under construction. This will house rehabilitation facilities and an orthopaedic workshop. The Addis Ababa Cheshire Project also operates an outpatient clinic and provides health education, antenatal care, immunisation for children and other health services. Many other Cheshire Services in Ethiopia also offer health and rehabilitation services.
Community based support – The Jimma Cheshire Project focuses on community based rehabilitation including providing medical services, non-formal education support, vocational skills and sign language training. It also provides enabling loans and low cost appliances and carries out community awareness-raising. More than 1400 children and youths with disabilities benefit directly from the project and a further 65,000 people are indirect beneficiaries. Other Cheshire community based support initiatives include the Community Based Rehabilitation Programme, which covers a large area of Addis Ababa and aims to give awareness on prevention of disabilities primarily through educating parents.
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