AID grant no. 493-0014-G-00-1177-00 to World Vision Relief and Development Inc. for an ongoing comprehensive program of rehabilitation assistance to handicapped persons in Vietnam

The WVRD program operates in four government rehabilitation centers in Vinh, Danang, Qui Nhon, and Can Tho, and reaches some 20 provinces, or about half of Vietnam"s handicapped population, which numbers at least 4 million adults. Outreach, prosthetics production, and training will be WVRD"s major activities. Following completion of a baseline survey to establish realistic estimates of the number of handicapped persons in the project area, WVRD will use radio, TV, and newspapers to promote the project"s rehabilitative services, especially surgical correction of disabilities, physical therapy, and fitting or replacement of artificial limbs or joints. Existing levels of service utilization are expected to increase by 25%. In addition, WVRD will: (1) establish community-based rehabilitation centers in three districts of Quang Nam-Danang province; (2) establish subcenters of the Danang Rehabilitation Center in three provinces in central Vietnam; and (3) renovate and equip the four centers so that they can produce more prostheses, joints, braces, crutches, and orthopedic shoes from locally available materials. U.S. or third-country training will be provided to 15 physicians, surgeons, or prosthetic workers from the centers. WVRD will also train 8 allied health professionals (orthotists, physical therapists, etc.) and 10 provincial community-based rehabilitation trainers. In addition, the training capacities of the centers and the central Vietnam Physical Therapy School will be strengthened, and 500 handicapped persons will receive skills training as well as seed resources for income-generating activities.