• Build simple playground equipment, adapted
for the particular child, at her home.
• With advice from a rehabilitation worker or
the child’s parents, learn to help with the
exercises or care that the child needs.
• You may be able to help build special aids
for the children, such as crutches, sandbags,
braces, or even a simple wheelchair. Try
to get advice from a rehabilitation worker.
If what you need to make is too difficult,
perhaps the children can ask parents who
are craftspersons to help. Visit them as
a committee.
• Become ‘prevention scouts’ by following the
suggestions on p. 428, or by taking other
actions to prevent disability in your village.
• If there is a village rehabilitation center in your
village, perhaps a group of children can take
turns there as volunteers after school. There
are many ways you can help and much you
can learn. Those who show most interest can
become junior rehabilitation workers’.
CHILD-to-child 435
A rope swing like this can
help a child with weak legs
teach herself to walk—in a
way that is fun!
Children with severe disabilities
Some children are very disabled. They cannot walk or swim or play many games.
But sometimes these children can learn to play marbles, cards, or guessing games.
Learning is especially difficult for a child who cannot speak or think as easily as
other children. This child may be very lonely. Sometimes a child who cannot speak,
understands a lot more than people think he does. If there is such a child in your
neighborhood, perhaps children could take turns visiting him, to talk or play with him.
Let him know you care.
Babies with problems
Sometimes a baby is slower than most to develop. Either her mind may be slow to
develop, or her body, or sometimes both. The child will be later than other babies in the
village to begin to sit, use her hands, crawl, walk or talk.
Babies who are slow to develop need special care. It possible, their parents
should get advice from a rehabilitation worker or physiotherapist. However, there
is a lot that brothers and sisters and other children can do.
More than almost anything else, these babies need lots of attention. They need
to be played with and helped or encouraged to play. They need simple toys and
colorful or noisy things to attract their attention. They need to be talked to and sung
to a lot. These things will help the baby develop faster. And these are all things other
children can do.
In the next activity sheet (p. 442) we will talk more about helping a child whose mind
develops slowly or who has difficulty understanding.
disabled village children