DHAKA: The first Orthotics & Prosthetics School in Bangladesh has been launched at the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP) on Thursday to teach Rana Plaza victims with permanent disabilities how to effectively use artificial limbs in day to day life.
German Development Cooperation together with the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP) jointly launched the school marking the one year anniversary of the tragic Rana Plaza building collapse at the CRP premises in Savar.
Roswitha Amels, First Secretary from the German Embassy, inaugurated one floor of the Orthotics & Prosthetics School in CRP premises in Savar.
The training facility is jointly financed by CRP, the Bangladesh Garment Manufactures & Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the German Development Cooperation.
Well-trained CRP professionals will help the victims of Rana Plaza with permanent disabilities who were equipped with artificial limbs to learn the use their new limbs in day to day life, said a press release from the German Embassy to Dhaka.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, implementing agency on behalf of the German Government, support CRP to run the school.
During the opening Ms Amels said “In response to the Rana Plaza Building collapse the German Government committed 2.5 million Euros to support the victims and their families. We are pleased to contribute to the foundation of the first Orthotics & Prosthetics School in Bangladesh. Furthermore, we support the holistic approach of CRP which includes rehabilitation of victims as well as their job integration.”
German Development Cooperation is also providing assistance with professional training for Rana Plaza victims enabling them to start new careers within or outside the garment industry by establishing small businesses. For example, as part of this program, the victims become trained in the area of shop management and will later be able to set up their own business such as operating a kiosk or running a mobile phone store.
Moreover, German Development Cooperation is planning to support 500 Rana Plaza victims and provides training to another 1,500 RMG workers as sewing operators and floor supervisors. 225 out of these people are workers with disabilities.
Together with the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the Coordination Cell (CC) of the Rana Plaza Trust Fund GIZ provides support to implement the compensation scheme of the compensation fund. The compensation payments could be used as micro capital for the start-up business after the victims successfully participated in professional trainings. Therefore, it is crucial that all expected funds will be deposited immediately by international buyers.
BDST: 1514 HRS, APR 25, 2014
