WHAT IS CBR (Community Based Rehabilitation)?

…Some Definitions

“CBR is a strategy for improving service delivery, for providing more equitable opportunities and for promoting and protecting the human rights of the disabled people.”- Einar Hilander, UNDP

“CBR is a strategy within the Community Development for the rehabilitation, equalization of opportunities and social integration of all people with disabilities.”

“CBR is implemented through the combined efforts of disabled people themselves, their families and communities and appropriate health, education, vocational and social services.” – ILO, UNESCO, WHO, Joint position paper 1994.

“CBR is a serious effort towards de-institutionalizing, de-professionalizing and de-mystifying services for persons with disability.” - UNO 1976

Basic Principles of a CBR Programme

1. Shifting services from institutions to the homes of Persons with Disabilities.
2. Shifting services from the professionals to minimally trained community members.
3. Delivery of optimum quality of services which will build on the traditional methods of rehabilitation.
4. Ensure that the community who benefits from such services gradually takes over the responsibility of managing rehabilitation programmes.
5. Ensure that the Persons with Disabilities have a say in Planning, Monitoring and Managing the programmes.
6. CBR programmes must be flexible so that they can operate at the local level and within the context of local conditions.
7. Local resources should be tapped to the maximum.
8. Ensure that the rights of persons with disabilities are not denied.

Our Strategies:

We have three strategies in place:

1. Direct CBR Programmes with individual Partner NGOs

2. Mainstreaming (MS) Programmes with Dioceses

3. District Level Initiatives (DLIs) with a group of 5 to 8 NGO Partners

While CBR remains a core strategy across programmes, certain programmes have add on strategies (MS/ DLI) in an attempt to improve the impact of the programme.

Objectives of CBR projects:

1. To ensure the inclusion of groups of persons with disabilities who are traditionally excluded and discriminated against – especially children, women and people with multiple and severe disabilities – in view of bridging the gap in line with Art. 19 of UNCRPD and human rights.
2. To facilitate equal opportunities for persons with disabilities and promote their rights through DPOs.
3. To promote community involvement and participation at various levels of programme implementation (PIME)
4. To promote mainstreaming and inclusion within other projects of the NGO Partner.
5. To network with government departments, PRIs, other NGOs to avail entitlements.
6. To bring systemic changes in and around the project area through a larger involvement and effective lobbying by from the DPO and community.
   To ensure the sustainability of DPOs.

Objectives of Mainstreaming projects:

1. To ensure the inclusion of groups of persons with disabilities who are traditionally excluded and discriminated against - especially children, women and people with multiple and severe disabilities – in view of bridging the gap in line with Art. 19 of UNCRPD and human rights.
2. To facilitate equal opportunities for persons with disabilities and promote their rights through DPOs.
3. To work with selected Religious Congregations and Dioceses in view of ensuring that mainstreaming persons with disabilities becomes a way of thinking and acting within the organization and the work of the church and to bring systemic changes in the entire work of Diocese.
4. To influence CBCI and CRI with the documented results of the above experience in view of ensuring that other dioceses and religious congregations opt to include mainstreaming of persons with disabilities in their planning and apostolic ventures.
   
    

Objectives of District Level Initiative (DLI) projects.

1. To enable the NGO partners to promote Collectives of persons with disabilities (DPOs) at village, block, district and State level (within and beyond the project area) for the promotion of their rights and to bring about systemic change through lobbying and advocacy.
2. To ensure that DPOs play an active role in the PME from the very beginning of the partnership.
3. To build the capabilities of DPOs to understand disability as a human rights issue and to lobby and advocate for their rights.
4. To encourage DPOs and DDPOs to work hand in hand with PRIs and other Government administrations / NGOs in view of promoting mainstreaming and inclusion.
5. To document the learning from the above process in view of providing the concerned state Government with a model for replication.
   
   
    

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