INTRODUCTION

This program is one of the seven axis of SHUMAS intervention in program is one of the seven axis of SHUMAS intervention in integrated rural development.integrated rural development.

Under the program we have the SHUMAS Vocational Training Center Under the program we have the SHUMAS Vocational Training Center

and the Janet Clark Mental clinic in Doualaand the Janet Clark Mental clinic in Douala..

EFFECTS

People with disabilities are usually exposed to harassment.

Lack of care exposes them to illnesses.

Most of these people usually defecate along the streets thus rendering the streets unpleasant to the inhabitants of the cities

Labor force of the nation is reducing since most of the mentally untsable persons are mostly youths and adults.

Most of them are violent and become sources of terror in their communities.

The SHUMAS rehabilitation project was initiated to satisfy its primary objectives as well as supporting the Cameroon government in attaining MDG goal 1b, the GESP.

SHUMAS chooses to intervene in the Vocational Rehab Training Center for persons with disability and the Janet Clark Mental Health Center.

SHUMAS INTERVENTION

Through need assessment, SHUMAS originally identified beneficiaries and placed them in workshops around towns. But it was later recognised that they were faced with lots of stigmatisation in this workshops and it was costly to monitor their progress effectively.

In view of this problem SHUMAS decided to construct a Rehabilitation Center which became operational in 2006 with the goal to equip and economically empower persons with special needs with life skill training for a fulfilling life and effective participation in development.

Train persons with physical disability in self reliant life skills

Provide start up capital to graduates to enable an effective integration in their various communities

Train them in basic management and leadership skills

Set up a revolving micro finance scheme to benefit ex-trainees with symbolic interest.

The center trains in seven workshops in the following trades: Sewing Knitting Traditional embroidery Shoe mending Cane weaving Hairdressing and Jewelery. Training runs from 8am-3pm with break at 12noon to 12:30pm

KNITTING SEWING

JEWELERY HAIR DRESSING

Our Workshops.....

CANE WEAVING SHOE MENDING

TRADITIONAL EMBROIDERY

Training is for two years and since the creation of this center, it has graduated two batches of trainees and the third batch will be going out in a month's time. Trainees are given start-up capital to set up their own businesses upon graduation and there is an effective monthly monitoring of ex-trainees in their various communities .

GRADUATION

m

Johan - second batch jewelery

Richard and Raymond - second batch shoe-mending

Ma Grace - knitting

Workshop visits of Ex-Trainees

Innocent - first batch jewellery First batch Cane-Weaving

Julius - first batch shoe-mending Onorine from the hair-dressing

The center has had its challenges and one of which was a lodging facility as well as feeding of the trainees. But thanks to CLYMAC UK, for overcoming these challenges by providing these facilities and now the problem of no-lodging as well as fainting on the part of the trainees is a thing of the past. Now those trainees from far away places can live in the dormitory and also all the trainees are sure of having 3 square meals daily.

DORMITORY,REFECTORY AND MANAGER PROJECT.

Views of the dormitory, refectory and managers blocks

Inner view of the Dormitory

The SHUMAS Rehab garden has been in existence for many years but with the coming of the dormitory much was been done to reinforce the garden so that its products from the garden could be used to sustain the food in the kitchen. Both the trainers and the trainees prepared and planted vegetables of all kinds.

CABBAGEPUMPKIN

The mental rehabilitation clinic in Douala which caters for the needs of this target group. The clinic is open during the week to mental health patients and for consultation and the administering of medication.

The Goal: The goal of the center is to rehabilitate and re-insert people with mental disabilities into their

communities.

The objectives: To improve on the welfare of these people through health care services.

To provide psychiatric help to the patients.

To create awareness on the plight of the mentally handicapped.

To build their capacity economically so as to enable them to become independent.

ACTIVITIES◦ Daily consultation of mentally ill persons and administering of treatment.

Doctor attending to a patient The staffs usually carry out outreach programs during which treatment is administered to

these persons in their homes and on the streets.

Attached to the center is a piggery with one pig presently. The pigs are usually used as a source for income generating to subsidize some bills of the clinic.Sensitization campaigns are often organized with fliers printed and talks given to people in the community on the need to medically help the mentally handicapped and integrate them back when they have been cured.Identification of families for patients found wandering in the streets.

Train them in life skills so they can become economically independent

Patients at the center with products

Beneficiaries: Direct beneficiaries: Over 853 persons have used the services of the clinic since 2006. Among these patients those who

have been steadily following treatment are about 50. Most of them come once in a while and others are met during outreach programs in various communities.

CHALLENGES: Since the start of the vocational rehabilitation centre, a lot has been achieved, but not without

much struggle and difficulties. First of all, it has not been easy for our trainees to come to the centre. The reason is the lack

of an appropriate means of transport, since most of them live far away from the centre. They therefore have to trek or ride on tricycles which are very dangerous on our highways.

We are also not getting enough trainees, since many who would love to train here lack a place to stay or have relatives right across town.

At the mental centre it is not always easy to identify the families of the patients, which makes it difficult to get extra help when they are not at the centre.

With the mental clinic expanding its activities, the present space is also becoming small for life skill training.

These major problems make it difficult for us to train as many people as we actually could.

FUTURE PERSPECTIVES: SHUMAS vision for the clinic is to construct a large center that can accommodate

many people with mental disabilities Secondly, to improve on the pharmacy by creating at least one in each region of

the country. In order to widen the accessibility of the project to disables in rural communities

who cannot afford lodging in Bamenda or know no one to live with in Bamenda, the following actions are perceived for the near future:

Micro-credit unit to assist poor disabled persons set up businesses. Minibus for transportation of these disabled persons and support stuff like

crutches and tricycles. Increase of number of trainees to 30 per year.

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