News Evaluation CBR program

With nearly a decade of experience implementing Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR), DRRA and Niketan commissioned an evaluation. The evaluation took place in April by Huib Cornielje and Esmot Zarin.

Their overall conclusion is that the CBR program is managed by an enthusiastic team working in Ghior and Doulatpur. The evaluation reveals a large number of positive developments affecting the effectiveness of the program.

“The veranda schools became a household name and flourished because of the high level of
community participation. Staff, parents and communities at large are all extremely positive about the veranda schools. It is robust model that finds its strength in the active participation of community members who responded positive to make their compounds and verandas available as a place for children with disabilities to enjoy themselves; to have fun; to make friends and to learn and develop. The veranda schools are also place where therapy is provided by motivated physiotherapy technologists“.

Effectiveness and Sustainability

There are however some concerns related to the sustainability of our CBR program. In terms of its effectiveness the evaluators come to the following conclusions:

• The program is very relevant to the beneficiaries i.e. children and youngsters with disabilities, their (grand)parents and their families at large.
• The program is of good quality. However, access to good quality of assistive devices needs more attention.
• The program is effective until the moment that children /youngsters become adults. Besides, their caregivers – often grandparents because the own parents left their children in their care- fear for the future of their children when they are not capable of taking care of them.

In terms of its sustainability the evaluators come to the following conclusions:

• There is a strong and vibrant network of partners, both public and private.
• The DRRA CBR program in Manikgonj is much dependent on Niketan (funding).
  Government funding adds up to max. 10% of all investments in childhood disability in Manikgonj according to the management team and includes disability allowance.
• For the CBR program to continue and become (financially) sustainable it should
  become part of existing public services.

Read the full evaluation if you’re interested in learning more about their findings and recommendations.

In the coming years, Niketan will work on the findings and recommendations of Huib and Esmot. We thank all organizations that have supported the project in recent years and hope that we can count on their support in the years to come. In particular, we would like to thank the Ineke Feitz Foundation for making this evaluation possible.