Change mindset of a physically disabled child Peru

Today we'll tell you about José. He is 14 years old and since 3 years he receives physical therapy. He is a happy and calm kid. He likes to listen to music, above all ballads. He lives with his mother and younger sister who love him a lot.

José has cerebral palsy. With help he can walk a little bit. He and his family have been going to the psychologist, because his little sister felt like all the attention of heir mother was only good José. Because of the therapy of our psychologist they could resolve the situation together with other issues which complicated José’s condition.

During the pandemic the psychologist continued working with José for instructions and relaxation exercises for his mother. Because of the lockdown due to covid-19 she has been stressed. We contacted them through video calls, messages and WhatsApp.

When they started with on his follow-up with José they had to repeat a lot of times what he had to do. This was very frustrating for his mother and she had to bee patient to work with him. The corona virus has affected a lot of families economically. The mother of José lost her work and his father only has temporary jobs. In spite of the situation, his mother continued reinforcing the work of the psychologist. Now they only have to repeat it sometimes so that he follows the instructions. José, His mother and the psychologist have already set a new goal and are working on recognizing colors.

The lockdown started 16th of March in Peru and ended 30th of June. During this time our psychologist continued working with the patients and their families because they were facing a situation without precedents. In Wasi Esperanza we try to adapt us to the actual context in the best way we can. We opted for attention through video calls and home visits. But 40% of our patients only have limited access or none at all to internet which was a big gap to fill. A lot of families opted to return to their villages because life would be cheaper there.

We are starting to attend in person since this month making sure to comply with the norms of prevention determined by the government and for are own personal health. However, 80% of our patients are afraid of being infected. That’swhy we have to work on raising awareness and educate about the prevention of the coronavirus, because in a lot of cases the therapy at a distance can’t replace the actual therapy in person.

We meet Mrs Vanessa in the psychology service of Wasi Esperanza. She can neither read nor write, which makes her sad and helpless because she doesn't feel able to take care of her family.

Mrs Vanessa is Maribel's aunt who has been taking care of Maribel since the death of her mother. Maribel is four years old and has a difficulty with speaking and walking.  She is diagnosed with cerebral palsy, spastic hemiplegia.

Mrs Vanessa has an eight-year-old daughter named Sofia. Sofia and Maribel are sisters on their father's side. They are very good friends, they love each other very much and take care of each other.

Mrs Vanessa does embroidery work to support the household, as only support, because the father doesn’t show interest in both of his daughters.

They live on the outskirts of the city of and their house is difficult to access. To attend the therapies, Mrs Vanessa has to carry Maribel, accompanied by Sofia. It’s a tiring journey, consisting of a walk of one-and-a-half hour and in many occasions they have to face strong weather conditions like the rays of the sun, the dust and the rain.

Despite the emotional problems, due to the death of her sister an due to the responsibility for the youngest one, Mrs Vanessa is very enthusiastic to start her literacy program in Wasi to learn to read and write in her native language, which is Quechua.