PHYSIOTHERAPY PROJECT IN SRI LANKA
2011 - 2012 BERICHT IN DEUTSCH
2011 - 2012 REPORT IN ENGLISH
11/2011 - 01/2012
- Together with my highly appreciated colleague, but primarily best friend Astrid Iris Kulas, we were now here in Hikkaduwa (Sri Lanka) and willing to do something good. By the help of loved ones and word of mouth, we launched an entire afternoon in a small empty
room and watched all the children who had registered for us . Somehow we had to get an imagination with a brief overview of the diseases and the current condition of the children. It was partly
frightening in which physical conditions the children came to us-unimaginable if you come from Germany, where children are different-sufficiently supplied from birth. There is a basic
service here in Sri-Lanka but the quality we leave better undecided- or there are private options, but the poor families can not afford that. Here we were absolutely right with our idea to help
and treat like vounteer.
In the sticky heat the afternoon cost us both a lot of energy and at the end of the day we fell exhausted into the chair and looked only at us ech other-that was completely something else than treating patients in Germany.
Many questions were raised: Where to start? How to build? To what extent can we help?
It had to be build up fast fast a structure. We decided to start to visit families at home and to treat the children there. However, that was an enormous amount of time, since most families lived very far away and hidden. Very often we also went the wrong way. No wonder, with all the jungle seems everything the same. It quickly became clear to us that we had to find another solution. So we found after a long search one perfect location, the PERALIYA HEALTH CENTRE in Thelwatte. The trustee from the centre allowed us to use a room and treat the children there.
Since many families could not afford the travel expenses, we decided to take part of the cost of some transport, so that a regular treatment was possible and we therefore could see how our therapy helped the children. We could very quickly see ... children developed very fast positive course not as we would like, but few children had finally build up a torso stabilization and within a different position as sitting or walking support they learned an entirely different quality of life. The parents were deeply grateful to us for our help. With the combination of physical therapy and Craniosacral therapy, we did our best and the childrens eyes and the smile gave us strength and recognition. Astrid had to leave after one month, because she had to return to the German again to daily practice and I stayed for another two months. The time flew by and one thing was clear: this is just the beginning of something very special. I had to go back and tell friends and coolegues from this physiotherapeutic project in Sri Lanka and try somehow to get support so that this project could grow. With this aim, I left Sri Lanka but knew I would come back soon ...
