During our July in-country visit to Vanuatu, Motivation Australia had the opportunity to provide basic level wheelchair service delivery training to eight personnel from the Vanuatu Society for People with a Disability (VSPD), the Ministry of Justice and Community Services (MOJCS) and the Ministry of Health (MOH).
The eight day training course utilised material from the WHO Wheelchair Service Training Package – Basic Level and included a mix of theoretical and practical sessions. Participants got the opportunity to put some of their new skills into practice through providing eleven wheelchair users with new, appropriate wheelchairs and cushions.
The in country visit was also a great opportunity to meet with our partners to discuss broader aspects of wheelchair service delivery. As part of this, Motivation Australia set-up the new Vanuatu Wheelchair and Walking aid Client Database within the MOJCS. We will continue to support the MOJCS and our other partners within Vanuatu to collect and use this data to strengthen their services.
Motivation Australia would like to thank the Morris Family Foundation and USAID through the US based Leadership, Management Group for their generous support in funding the training. We would also like to thank VSPD personnel for their coordination on the ground, the LDS Church Blacksands for the great venue; VSPD, the Ministry of Justice and Community Services and the Ministry of Health for releasing their staff to attend the training; and finally all the training participants for their great commitment towards improving services for people with disabilities in Vanuatu.