Training of the Locals in Basics of Physiotherapie

As we came back from our first trip in October 2003 we were toying with the thought about having a place to educate locals in the necessary therapy to continue our work. There are no physiotherapists, orthopaedists, occupational therapists or rehabilitation workers in Ladakh, but a lot of handicapped children. But how in the world are we to go about it? We did not dare to dream so big…. And we were able to secure the support of a lot of German physiotherapists who wanted to go up there to work. As we arrived in Leh again June 12^th we had an important meeting with Elisha Gergan, the director of the Moravian Mission School and other locals. During this meeting I found myself voicing this quiet thought out loud. To our surprise the participants were delighted, as if they had been waiting for such a thing. Ideas were exchanged, a plan was made and deeds followed. Not only the locals do support the creation of a school of physiotherapy but also the German therapists going up there were willing to do their part teaching.

Every new venture thrives by its thoughtful preparation and organisation: 

1. 10-12 locals will be accepted as students. Some of them being school teachers will have to cope with the disabled as they are being integrated into the schools. Moreover, medical assistants will be admitted (they usually go out into the villages to look after the health of the locals) and there may also be nuns working with children. The school is expected to run for two years and splits into a theoretical part during the winter and a practical part during the summer with field trips into the remote areas. 

Norbuu mit Rigzin 

2. The location of the school will be in the upper rooms of the „Enablement Center“, the home for the disabled owned by the Moravian Mission School. This way it is very easy to work with children in the rooms below. The students may be instructed through hands-on training. Our School of physiotherapy in Guenzburg, Germany, has donated many medical posters which have been hand-carried up to Leh by now. 

3. Two local female doctors are willing to teach at the school. One of them is retired and she wants to help the handicapped. The other woman has a disabled child herself and is very motivated to teach. The German physiotherapists will take over the specific subjects and the practical part. We still hope to recruit more medical personal to teach. 

4. To coordinate a venture like this one needs a „centre person“, a secretary,  being able to concentrate on the needs of teachers and students, being present all the time, speaking the language and knowing the locals. I wrote Elisha Gergan about this need and two weeks later we had an answer: He recruited Ms. Spaldon a teacher from his school. for this purpose. She speaks three languages and will be our school secretary. Immediately, she went off with our physios to learn about the work.