ChildFund Sri Lanka’s Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) project in Puttalam helps families identify, understand and better care for children with disabilities.

Umesha, now nearly four, waddles between the television and a plate of rice from which her mother feeds her. She stands in front of the television watching a group of children sing and dance. Fascinated, she stretches out one of her arms in imitation.

A year ago, Umesha could neither stand, sit, or speak. Ajitha, Umesha’s mother, worried as she watched other children her daughter`s age begin to walk and talk.

But now there are smiles and laughter as Umesha makes funny faces to entertain her mother and Anoma – a volunteer for the Community-Based Rehabilitation project that ChildFund Sri Lanka runs in Puttalam. Children with disabilities are among the most vulnerable of children since they are often hidden by their families, stigmatised by society, and largely unprotected despite existing laws and social safety nets.

Through the CBR project, ChildFund helps caregivers detect and recognise disabilities early and learn how best to manage them. ChildFund also collaborates with local authorities and civil society organisations to include children with disabilities in social services programs and the educational system. Currently, the project reaches 120 children with disabilities in Puttalam. Volunteers visit the children`s homes daily or twice a week to monitor their progress, support caregivers – which includes helping with therapeutic exercises for the children – and ensure that the children receive routine clinic check-ups.

For the first year and a half after Umesha’s birth, her parents took her to the hospital frequently. Endless trips, and hours and weeks spent in hospital beds, made no difference to Umesha’s health – and took a high toll on Ajitha and her husband, who does odd jobs for a living. Ajitha had almost given up hope, when Anoma paid her a visit to encourage Ajitha to bring her daughter to the CBR clinic.