CBR Trainers Evaluate Skills after a Year of Curriculum Implementation
Trainers of the pioneer batch of the first ever Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) professional training course in Cameroon, have exchanged their experiences and learning after a year of implementation of the CBR curriculum intended to enhance the quality of teaching.
This was in a two-day refresher training dubbed ‘Training of Trainers’ refresher session’ organized on August, 29-30, 2021 at the CBC Health Services Resource Centre of Excellence, Mvan – Yaoundé. The main reason of the training was to enhance the CBR curriculum based on experience from facilitators and students in the first CBR class.
The Empowerment and Disability Inclusive Development (EDID) Program Manager, Mrs. Agho Glory, in her opening speech emphasized that the CBR training will proffer a solution to close the gaps in the rehabilitation services by increasing the number of trained rehabilitation service providers within the network of the CBCHS-EDID project’s Partner Organisations (POs) in 9 regions of the country. This, according to her, is in a bid to improve the access and quality of CBR services, especially to meet the need of children, youths, and adults with disabilities in Cameroon.
The training was facilitated by the principal of the Baptist Training School for Health Personnel (BTSHP), Mr. Nkwan Jacob, the CBR course Coordinator, Mr. Kenchi Joseph, the Inspector General at the Ministry of Social Affairs (MINAS), Chief Foreke Asongtia, the EDID Project Manager, Mrs Agho Glory, and the Gender and Child Protection Supervisor of the CBC Health Services, Mme Nsono Josephine. Mr. Fouda Henri, a field worker with mobility impairment was invited to share his experience. His experiences enabled the facilitators to understand the challenges and successes of fieldworkers with impairment. According to Fouda “parents are usually very open to talk to me because they feel that I can understand their situation better. The challenge I usually face is when I go for advocacy, people sometimes think that because of my impairment I have come to beg for money.” Fouda’s resilience and passion for his job enables him work in the communities in spite of some of the challenges that will certainly be overcome with time.
One of the outstanding recommendations made during the session was to increase the duration of the CBR training to enable students acquire desirable competencies.
While presenting MINAS activities towards the improvement of CBR work in Cameroon, the Inspector General at MINAS, Chief Foreke Asongtia, reminded the facilitators that the National CBR strategy is currently being developed with the CBCHS as a key technical partner.
It’s worth noting that over 24 students were enrolled into the first badge of the CBR training which kick-started in October, 2021 at the CBC Health Services, Baptist Training School for Health Personnel (BTSHP), Banso. The course is offered by the Rehabilitation Compass for Inclusion (RCI) Project through the CBC Health services thanks to support from AFAS Foundation and Liliane Fonds.