Linking Arms

What changes when rehabilitation starts early, before a child’s challenges become lifelong barriers? In Rudaki District, we continue delivering community-based rehabilitation (CBR) for children with disabilities through facility-based sessions in CBR rooms and home-based rehabilitation for children with severe disabilities and those who cannot easily access services; today, 86 children receive rehabilitation twice per week, including 20 children reached through home visits, ensuring support continues even for the most vulnerable families.

To improve quality and continuity of care, our rehabilitation staff are strengthening and updating their skills and enhancing case management by updating individual child files and developing Individual Rehabilitation Plans, so every child receives personalized, goal-oriented support focused on practical outcomes, improved motor, sensory, communication, and daily living skills. Referral pathways are also improving: coordination with the polyclinic speech therapist (logopedic) has been strengthened, and because complex and severe cases often require more specialized and continuous care than the polyclinic can provide, children with severe disabilities are now recommended for referral to CBR services closer to where they live. At the community level, we are reinforcing collaboration with health workers and social workers so children are identified earlier and referred to village-based CBR rooms, when early support makes the biggest difference.

We have also developed a practical poster for each CBR room to help staff and parents/caregivers consistently reinforce key rehabilitation actions, reminding everyone that “Early intervention is not optional—it’s the foundation of a child’s future.” With donor support through the GlobalGiving platform, we will continue expanding home-based outreach, strengthening referrals, and improving documentation so more children receive timely rehabilitation, progress faster, and have a better chance to thrive at home, in school, and in their communities.