AUSTRALIA SUPPORTS UXO VICTIMS

Australia has provided AU$600,000 in grant funding to the Cooperative for Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise (COPE) at the National Rehabilitation Centre, which works with UXO victims and other people with disabilities.

AUSAID Representative Ms Raine Dixon visited the COPE centre on Wednesday to make the donation, which was witnessed by Deputy Minister of Health Dr Bounkong Sihavong.

Director General of the National Rehabilitation Centre Dr Thongchan Thepsomphou thanked the Australian government for its generous support, saying COPE plays a critical role in supporting the many thousands of UXO victims in Laos.

It provides occupational therapy and mobility aids to victims, as well as other support services so that they can regain a degree of independence in their lives.

The money donated under the AUSAID programme will enable the centre to continue providing services to disabled people in Laos for the next three years. Upwards of 8 percent of families in Laos have a family member with some form of disability, whether it be hereditary, caused by disease or accident.

The grant money will go towards improving the clinical rehabilitation skills of staff, meeting essential costs for patients and materials, upgrading facilities and improving access through clinical outreach programmes.

Head of Development Cooperation at the Australian Embassy to Lao Ms Raine Dixon said people with disabilities are among the poorest and most vulnerable in developing countries. She said Australia is strongly committed to ensuring people with disabilities are given the assistance and support they need to live normal and happy lives.

Australian-funded victim assistance projects have helped 12,000 vulnerable people in poor and remote communities, and the Australian government has contributed more than US$23 million to the UXO clearance sector in Laos since 1996.

Source: Vientiane Times
By Sisouphan Amphonephong
(Latest Update July 29, 2011)