PURR
Japanese volunteers for persons with disabilities
A volunteer demonstrates a rehabilitation technique.THE Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has a program called the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) aimed at providing technical assistance in developing countries like the Philippines. JOCVs, who are ages 20 to 39, spend two years being involved in cooperation activities, living and working with the people in the community. There are JOCVs who stay on a short-term basis, like 10 months at the most.
It was in 1966 when JOCVs were dispatched in the Philippines. Now, there are 1,371 JOCVs here who implement community development programs to all the sectors in the country that are in need of technical skills to make available livelihood opportunities.
Saori Sato, volunteer for occupational therapy under Handicapped International, a French foundation, has been in the Philippines for one year and two months. She will go back to Japan this June. Her task is to fix wheelchairs, provide rehabilitation equipment which are made of local resources, and home-based rehabilitation. “The rural areas lack therapists, thus we teach them basic rehabilitation. We also make a community-based rehabilitation (CBR) project in five municipalities in Panay. We train persons with disabilities to become leaders. Empowerment is important,” Saori said.
Saori was asked to compare the life of PWDs in Japan and in the Philippines. She said that here, there is a lack in accessibility but people have a heart. “Here, there are many who will share your pain. That is why we have many active and dynamic PWDs in the Philippines. In Japan, we have good technology thus accessibility is not a problem. However, there is no community there that could boost the Japanese PWDs,” she added. She advised though that in the Philippines, there is a need to strictly implement laws on the rights of PWDs as well as help in mainstreaming them.
Saori and other JOCVs were in Iloilo City recently for “The New Beginning” an exhibition of art and pictures as well as lectures on PWDs Law, peer counseling, independent living, experiences and dreams as well as healthy life for PWDs.
