- It's time again, and with great joy and many new ideas and necessary Souvenirs as rollators and different treatment material which were sponsored by lovly people, I went to the
Peraliaycenter in Telwatte where my kids epected me very excited. How I missed the smile of the children. The team of the Center, Dr. De Zoysa and Nurse Dinuscha received me very warmly and after a few short conversations and planning i started to work. Up to
two children who are unfortunately deceased, all come very motivated for the therapy and they presented proudly their homework, which I asked them to do before my last departure from the
country. I could see that all the children in my absence diligently made all exercises under the supervision and control of parents and Dr. De Zoysa. So
easy I could pursue my therapeutic objectives in each individual child and could go further with the schedule. In my absence, our project has spread in the
surrounding villages and some children were placed in the center on a waiting list. These children, I could now see and include them in our new planning. Thus now are about 35 children
with very different syndromes in treatment. The treatment concept includes physical therapy, combined with Craniosacral therapy.
Depending on the condition of the child they are 1 - 2x per week treated in the center. The duration of treatment is between 30 - 45 minutes per child.
Most diagnoses are made partly not entirely clear, but almost all children have diagnoses as CP (cerebral palsy), unadjusted epilepsy, traumatic consequences, mentally and physical
developmental delays. Since almost all children previously never or hardly were treated with physiotherapy, the accompanying symptoms and extreme deformities are often of the lower
extremities. If some of the children could have been with timely Treatment surely could be prevent such an accident and many children would be still standing on their feet. Thus, for some
only remains the supply of a wheelchair or walker. Nevertheless, the children always come very motivated and on time for therapy.
In particular, the parents are very grateful that someone cares about and accepts their children.
Apart from the treatment I give parents advices and homework , which they should make at home with their children. Interestingly, this works very
well. The parents here in Sri Lanka are not used to this because, unfortunately, here a disabled child belongs often for "weak part" of the society and thus often remains on their own way of
destiny. Therefore stands for me in this Pilotproject: Help to help themselves first. People are very open to all new things and with some patience and helpful advices you can make get
something going on in a good way.
For example, starting for 2 days a dentist project with a "mobile dental clinic" to give the disabled children a dental control and
supply. Furthermore, January once per week in the afternoon, a workshop for children with learning difficulties will take place. You can not compare this here with the European work. But I
try as best I can, adapting them to the needs of children. But you have to be very flexible here. Often the conditions let much to be desired. But our motto "all good" works always and I never give up I hope to find many people who support me in this Project. Thus, we could find for example, an
orthopedic technician in the area trace of Colombo, where I can get
wheelchairs and rollators and adapt to children. These costs will be funded by donations. I wish with all my heart that the children in the future get the chance of a regular physiotherapy
treatment. There is still much to do and I'm looking forward to the coming months :)
Many thanks for that goes first to my boss Axel Linke, which allows me here perform this wonderful work in Sri Lanka for a longer period.
A very special thanks to all the lovely people, family and friends who like to give me support in this work - THANKS to all who give financially and
humanly tight to me and my work and believe together with me in this project. This gives me the strength to go on.
The shortest distance between two people is a smile ... Smile and the world smiles back.
Touching moments forever exist in our hearts.
THANK YOU
Barbara Dietrich
(Physiotherapeutin-Craniosacraltherapeutin)
- It is hard to believe ... four months in Sri Lanka have passed by very quickly and I can look back with pride and joy of a successful work. As described in previous reports, all children are
suppllied by rehabilitation materials. The orthopedic technician Herman Wendland has again looked and adjust at all the individuals of every
single child. All families are very grateful and happy for the help. They can put their children finally in a wheelchair where they can practise active and in the meanwhile the mothers can do
something else. Some of the children i teached wheelchair training and work diligently, they still are not used to the wheelchair.
I also visited the last two days all the children at home. I ve been received very hospitable and unfortunately i had to realize with that some
families live under very poor circumstances. Some household owns no electricity or water and a lack of bed, table or chairs. Therefore, I spontaneously decided to provide to these
families Furniture. Some left donations could made that possible. Each child and family has been supplied with "homework" from me. It is about Exercises in my absence, so
that the physical achievements do not deteriorate and I can go on further with new concepts when i will be back.
The colleague Julia Kastl has agreed to support for two months, the Physiotherapy
Project. After an intensive introduction to therapy she currently continued to treat some children in the center and also helped in some organizational
things.
Thanks for your commitment!
- Furthermore, we have a little boy, called Samith, he needed a financial support of a very high - risk surgery. I personally met the
responsible doctor who took care about and followed the entire process. The operation was not easy and involved with great pain. But the intervention has been successful and Samith is now out of
the Hospital and soon he will begin with physiotherapy therapy.
- At my visit at the hospital, I have unfortunately seen much misery ... even very young children with major neurological surgical procedures that do not care and are catastrophic conditions in
the hospital. And the hygienic measures in the general hospital are not the best! Of course, with this experience immediately jumped on my "helper syndrome".
On my next visit to Sri Lanka I would like to offer directly help in the children's department,so the children would get the chance for an immediate physiotherapy
care and they could later continue in the Peraliya Health Centre. For this I will meet with the chief physician of the hospital, and if Iam
lucky he is interested in the physiotherapy project.
- Still important is the intensive continuation of medical and dental supply of all disabled children in Peralya Centre that we already started successfully this year.
- Music classes , art classes and intensive support of children with learning difficulties are still in development of my idea for the physiotherapy project.
- Not to forget is the collaboration between the University of Physiotherapy . This is another of my Focus promoting the physiotherapeutic project .
- Currently I have a student who presents itself regularly at the center for watching my Treatments. This I would love to continue because my idea is to train local physiotherapists and encourage to help then in my project. Thus, the
children would get in the longer term a physiotherapy treatment. This is not so easy but very important because the disabled children in Sri Lanka has a limited or almost no possibility to
get help offered. Accordingly, then the consequences are of which I have reported in the previous time. All the more important it is to me, the local students to do this consciously and this I
would love to bring to the local PT students my way of work close to their heart. I was able to get the interest of the Director of the Department of Faculty of Physiotherapy - University of
Colombo. My idea for the future is to organize seminars at the university and to even offer internships. To realize all these ideas of course I need financial and therapeutic Help.
- I know that I can provide still some more things for these children in Sri Lanka. It is often not easy and the work sometimes costs a lot of energy. But the bright eyes of children and the
Smile that they give me every single day is reason enough reward for me to continue. There is still much to do ... and that brings me every day a step further ...
I can not express with words how much these children are now close to my heart, and I may not say enough THANK YOU to everyone who believed and
supported me and the project .
Who uses words, is responsible for them.
An old adage says: "No matter what you say, it is important, that it arrives to you from the bottom of the heart.
The words have to be understood and have to touch the soul."
In this sense...
Heart Regards,
Barbara