Supporting Children with Disabilities in Pakistan

Community Health Worker Training

In November 2023, MAITS organised training for 12 Community Health Workers (CHWs) affiliated with the Disabled Welfare Association (DWA) in Karachi. This initiative was led by four ACELP qualified therapists, all of whom are MAITS Level 2 trainees, under the supervision of three Master Trainers. Despite facing various logistical hurdles, the training proceeded successfully. 

In December 2023, an additional 12 Community Health Workers underwent training at ACELP. 8 of these CHWs are from our partner organisation, ACELP, and 4 are from another partner organisation in Karachi, Marie Adelaide Laprosy Centre. 4 ACELP therapists, who are MAITS Level 2 trainees, led the training. They are supporting the CHWs throughout the year as they visit and work with children and their families in the community. The L2 trainers aresupervised by 3 Master Trainers. The training was very well run and interactive; our Master Trainers at ACELP are confident and experienced in running MAITS trainings.  

Following assessment by the MAITS Master Trainers, 3 of the 8 Level 2 trainees that held the trainings mentioned above were deemed ready to receive their L2 certificates. These certificates were officially awarded by MAITS' Director of Operations Sadia Mirza, during her visit at the conclusion of February 2024. The remaining two Level 2 trainees will continue to receive support and guidance from the Master Trainers, with the aim of further enhancing their skills. They will be provided with another opportunity to train CHWs and eventually qualify as Level 2 trainers themselves. 

All of these 24 CHWs are now conducting home visits to families and will continue to be supported by their trainers for the next year.

Home visits

During her visit to Karachi in February, our Director of Operations, Sadia Mirza, conducted home visits to five families along with CHWs and a Master Trainer from ACELP. The aim of these visits was to evaluate the impact that this programme is having on the ground, collecting testimonies from parents who have been receiving support from MAITS' trained CHWs. These five families all had differing socioeconomic status. Sadia noted the need for community based provision at all levels of society; the community based rehabilitation services are beneficial for all the families visited. 

Many thanks from the MAITS team for your continued support.

• Case studies from home visits (PDF)