EMAD - Enabling and Mobilsing Afghan Disabled
SERVE's support services for blind Afghans grew
out of the perceived needs for blind people by the
staff of the Afghan Eye Hospital (AEH) in Peshawar,
Pakistan. The AEH staff was forced to turn away
hundreds of incurable blind patients every year. For
this reason SERVE started a project in 1986 for the
rehabilitation of blind Afghans. The project moved
into Afghanistan in 1993 after the political takeover
by the Mujahedeen and has worked since then in
six provinces of Afghanistan. At the end of 1998, all
of our activities in the refugee camps in Pakistan
were closed and the project concentrated its efforts
among visually impaired people inside Afghanistan.
Our focus now lies on community based
rehabilitation. We raise awareness of the needs of
the people with disabilities within the community.
Our volunteers integrate children with disabilities (if
possible) in local schools and they refer others to
relevant services. They also organise vocational
training and provide rehabilitative training to people
with disabilities in their homes.
out of the perceived needs for blind people by the
staff of the Afghan Eye Hospital (AEH) in Peshawar,
Pakistan. The AEH staff was forced to turn away
hundreds of incurable blind patients every year. For
this reason SERVE started a project in 1986 for the
rehabilitation of blind Afghans. The project moved
into Afghanistan in 1993 after the political takeover
by the Mujahedeen and has worked since then in
six provinces of Afghanistan. At the end of 1998, all
of our activities in the refugee camps in Pakistan
were closed and the project concentrated its efforts
among visually impaired people inside Afghanistan.
Our focus now lies on community based
rehabilitation. We raise awareness of the needs of
the people with disabilities within the community.
Our volunteers integrate children with disabilities (if
possible) in local schools and they refer others to
relevant services. They also organise vocational
training and provide rehabilitative training to people
with disabilities in their homes.
SERVE Afghanistan
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disability project 1
- the problem solver
- the problem solver
- Publishing and printing Braille books and
producing audiotapes - Providing functional training: daily living skills,
social skills, communication skills,
orientation & mobility - Education in Braille (home-schooling)
- Vocational training & job placement in various
trades (tailoring, shop keeping, vegetable
gardening etc.)
The communities participate actively in the
rehabilitation and education of blind clients and they
provide resource rooms, volunteers for teaching
blind pupils, and vocational training & job
placements. These job placements help the blind
clients to become self-supporting and active
members of their community. In the areas where
EMAD is working with rehabilitation programs, the
attitude of the people regarding the disabled has
changed significantly as they now accept that people
with disabilities have the right to receive education
and that they are able to work. This changes the lives
of our clients, as they are now becoming accepted as
full members of the society.
Our Activities
