CBR Field Workers poised to Increase Enrollment of CWDs in SIEP Pilot Schools
The Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) field workers of the CBC Health Services have during a two days’ workshop mapped out strategies on how to ensure access of children with disabilities (CWDs) to the CBC pilot inclusive schools. The workshop was organized by CBR and the CBC Education Board partners of the Empowerment Disability and Inclusive Development Program (EDID) with objective to drill field workers on the Sustainable Iclusive Education Project (SIEP) and their role in increasing the enrollment of children with disability in the pilot schools.
The workshop took place Yaounde within the context of the SIEP Project run by the Education Board in six pilot schools with funding from the Liliane Funds through the EDID Program of the CBC Health Services.
Presenting an overview of the SIEP Project, the Project Officer, Dr. Atanga Napthali decried that many children with disability are not accessing education because of ignorance of existing inclusive schools, poverty, amongst many barriers. To overcome these challenges, he noted, the field workers have a leading role in creating awareness, identifying and referring children with disability from the community to the inclusive schools.

The CBR Supervisor, Mr. Kenchi Joseph drilled the field workers through a session on strategies to fish out children with disability from the community so that they can acquire education. He called on them to carry out continues advocacy in churches, schools, njangi houses, in collaboration with religious, traditional, municipal authorities and other influencers in the community. Mr. Kenchi charged the field workers with the task of ensuring an increase enrollment of children with disability in the inclusive schools in 2019/2020 academic year.
The EDID Program Manager in an interview described the field workers as those directly in contact with children with disability in the field. “Their role in identifying and referring those children to inclusive schools cannot be over emphasized. With the skills given them, the field workers are expected to take decisions in the field in favour of children with disability in all their interventions as well as identify and work with key stakeholders in the community and continue networking,” Mrs. Agho Glory reiterated.
The EDID Program Manager noted that the field workers took commitment to penetrate into the community and fish out children with disability so that they can have access to the SIED pilot inclusive schools.
The workshop was preceded by a two day workshop held for the CBR field workers, Physiotherapy Assistant staff and Bursars of the CBC Health Services directly involved with the EDID funds and activities. The participants were drilled on the expectations of Lilian Funds, the founder of the EDID Program and their role in providing holistic services in order to achieve the goal of the program which is to improve on the quality of life for children with disability.
At the end of the workshop, participants attested that the workshop was educative as it equipped them on how Liliane Funds are disbursed and reconciled.