Motivation Australia is currently working in partnership with the Rehabilitation Division of the Ministry of Health and Medical Services in the Solomon Islands to provide technical support in strengthening their mobility device services. The Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) Unit has…
Lauren and Ray from Motivation Australia conducted a one week rapid assessment of the current status of diabetic foot care at Tungaru Central Hospital (TCH) in Kiribati. MA have been working with the Tungaru Rehabilitation Service (TRS) at the same…
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…
Our recent technical support visit (May 16) to Vanuatu to meet with stakeholders involved in the Vanuatu wheelchair service provision project proved how valuable the time we spend to “tok tok” with our partners is. Combined with the delivery of…
Running a successful wheelchair (or any other assistive technology) service requires management level support. That means that managers need to understand how to plan, implement and manage their service; motivate personnel; and ensure that the right resources are in place…
Motivation Australia was delighted to work directly with our partners in Timor Leste, the National Centre for Rehabilitation (CNR), to deliver basic level wheelchair service delivery training for four technical staff and eight clinical staff. The training, delivered early May…
Motivation Australia, Fiji National University (FNU) School of Physiotherapy and the Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) have been working together since 2012 to increase the numbers of trained wheelchair service providers. Together we have trained a number of clinicians and technicians…
The Samoan National Health Service’s Diabetic Foot Clinic (DFC) was established almost a year ago, with the goal of providing quality, multidisciplinary wound management to reduce the number of amputations caused by diabetic foot complications. While we can see the benefits…
Introducing Marjolein Weigman, volunteer intern at Motivation Australia. She is a Health Sciences student from the University of Twente in the Netherlands. Marjolein wanted to come to Australia to experience “the great culture and the beautiful natural environment”. Her research project titled “Costs and…
Motivation Australia and the PNG Assembly of Persons with Disabilities (PNG ADP) released the zero draft of the first “National Guidelines on the Provision of Assistive Technology in Papua New Guinea” on April 6th 2016. Copies were distributed to the…
Walking aids are a commonly used assistive device, however remain in short supply in many low income countries, including PNG. Along with insufficient funding for procurement, one of the barriers to their provision is a lack of staff trained to…
On Saturday February 20th 2016 the category 5 tropical cyclone Winston made landfall in Fiji. Winston would turn out to be one of the most powerful cyclones in recorded history, with winds gusting to 320 km/h. Fiji is a Pacific…
Motivation Australia has completed a Walking Aid Training Package, aimed at increasing safe and effective provision of walking aids by hospital and community based health, rehabilitation and community workers. The package was developed as part of a broader program to strengthen assistive…
In partnership with the Papua New Guinea Assembly of Persons with Disabilities (PNG ADP), Motivation Australia is finalising a zero draft of Guidelines on the Provision of Assistive Technology (AT) in PNG. This project has been led by a PNG…
In 2014 the International Diabetes Federation reported that Pacific Island countries account for eight of the top ten countries in the world for diabetes prevalence, with some rates as high as 37%. The increasing burden diabetes is placing on social…
The Vanuatu Wheelchair Service Provision project Phase I (WSPI) is a one year (2015-2016) collaboration between the Vanuatu Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Justice and Community Services (MOJCS), VSPD (Vanuatu Society for People with Disability), the Sanma Frangipani Association (SFA) and…
Motivation Australia, the Fiji Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) and the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Fiji National University recently convened the first Wheelchair Provision Forum in Fiji. The Forum brought together key stakeholders to discuss strategies to increase…
Senior Clinical Coordinator Lauren Flaherty recently represented our sister organisation Motivation (UK) at the Asia Pacific Occupational Therapy Conference held in Rotorua, New Zealand. Lauren presented an intensive, four-hour workshop focused on Motivation’s Emergency Response Wheelchair and training package. The…
The Samoa Disability Programme (SDP) is a comprehensive Australian Government funded initiative currently being implemented in Samoa. The programme is led and coordinated by the Government of Samoa through the Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development (MWCSD), with a…
The Motivation Australia team has been working on a Walking Aid Training Package, aiming to increase safe and effective provision of walking aids by hospital and community based health and rehabilitation workers. The package has been developed as part of a broader program…