Festive Appeal 2023
This festive season, help us to train ten unpaid carers in Nepal to provide basic health information to other carers in their communities, so that they in turn can better support their disabled children and look after their own (often overlooked) health needs.
We have already secured £5,000 from the James Tudor Foundation, but we need to raise an additional £5,000 to launch this project and we need your help to do it!
Every pound you donate will be doubled (up to a maximum of £2,500) thanks to the CareTech Foundation, meaning that your gift will go twice as far.
Why is this project needed?
Our survey of 334 carers in the Kathmandu Valley revealed that 69% of these carers had their own health problems, and less than half of this number were receiving treatment.
Just 20% were accessing community groups where they could be provided with basic health information.
“After this training, I want to serve carers like me, and their children. As I am also a carer, I can share my experiences and pain and other carers can openly share their problems with me and I will easily understand them.”
“During the process of caring for my son who has Cerebral Palsy, I have faced many health issues myself, such as back and knee pain, as well as struggled with my mental health. I feel carer to carer support is better for me. A fellow carer can understand me, I feel that other people would not understand my feelings and what I’m going through in the same way.”
What impact will this project have?
Once fully trained, each Volunteer Health Worker will work with 25 unpaid carers within their community, supporting their health and well-being through regular home visits. They will receive an allowance to cover any expenses.
As a result of this project, 250 carers in the Kathmandu Valley will benefit from:
- Empowerment to meet their own basic health needs
- Increased self-care arising from increased knowledge of hygiene and nutrition
- Enhanced access to healthcare services
- Improved mental health due to regular empathetic support and a sense of community
Additionally, 250 children with cerebral palsy (and other neurological conditions) will experience improved health and development as a direct result of their carers having:
- Improved knowledge of neurological conditions and their impacts
- Experience in basic physiotherapy
- Understanding of how to manage common health and medical issues
This project will also mean:
- Increased awareness of the health needs of carers amongst local service providers
- The ten trained Volunteer Health Workers will benefit from improved confidence and well-being by playing a valuable role within their communities
- The ten children of the volunteers will benefit from improved physical, mental and social development due to the programme at SGCP
- 250 children with disabilities will benefit from their carers having improved health which will lead to better care provision
- The improved health of 250 families due to better nutrition and hygiene practices
What will the training consist of?
Our partner in this project, the Self-Help Group for Cerebral Palsy (SGCP), has been supporting those with cerebral palsy and other neurological conditions in Nepal since 1986. The training will be conducted over the course of a month at SGCP’s centre in Kathmandu, during which time the volunteers’ own disabled children will take part in an educational and therapeutic programme, thus providing full-time care.
“SGCP has a very long experience working with children as well as their carers. The children need lifelong support, but their carers also need support. This Carers to Carers project means that carers will be supported by people that really understand their circumstances and problems.
There are so many carers who want to support other carers, so we want to train carers, it is very simple!”
Training modules for the volunteers include:
- Common health issues experienced by carers and the reasons why
- Basic preventative measures and physiotherapy exercises
- Breathing exercises and meditation
- Signposting to relevant health and therapy services
- Nutrition and hygiene
- Promoting movement, communication and sensory development of the child
- Exploring alternative care options to help reduce 24/7 caring
Following this residential training, volunteers will then return to their homes and take part in on-the-job training provided by SGCP staff and local health professionals.
How YOU can help
We need to raise another £5,000 in order to implement this vital programme to improve the health of unpaid carers, disabled children and families in Nepal. Any contribution you can make towards our target will be most gratefully received and remember your donation will be doubled!
If you are unable to donate yourself, then please share our appeal with friends, family, colleagues – anyone you think might be interested in helping us to support the health and well-being of unpaid carers and their families in Nepal this festive season. Thank you!
*Any funds raised over and above what is needed to launch the Carers To Carers scheme will be applied to Carers Worldwide’s general purposes.
