Tukuy Pacha aims to improve the independence of people with serious disabilities in 5 municipalities of Cochabamba, Bolivia by endowing them with assistive equipment for their daily activities. Technical aid allows people with disabilities to become active in their community, move more freely, and feel safe when they leave their homes. An extensive medical and social analysis ensures that each case will be provided the correct tools to boost their quality of life.
Over 15% of Bolivia's population is disabled but despite laws in place, many rights (the right to be an active participant in the community, to protection from the public and the Bolivian state) are often violated. People with disabilities are a vulnerable group heavily affected by poverty and the root of the issue lies in their exclusion from society. Especially in rural municipalities, like Capinota, Tiquipaya, Colcapirhua, San Benito and Punata, the lack of resources is an extreme challenge.
A physiotherapist, with the Municipal Unit for Attention to Disabilities, performed a kinetic analysis in each municipality, creating a profile for the most sensitive and urgent cases needing technical assistance. The equipment of this project will be delivered by the physiotherapist, who will oversee its proper incorporation; explaining how to use it and maintain its good condition. Assistive devices don't immediately change lives but they bring the first steps of integration into society.
A total of 25 people with disabilities will be directly benefited with technical aid, initiating the process of exercising their rights within their family, and then to society beyond. By providing tools for their participation, it creates potential for future processes of personal independence. The required involvement of family members also brings more sustainable dynamics to support this independence, and through the sensitization of the family environment, there can a larger communal impact.
This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Word file (projdoc.doc).
