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We Care is a project funded by AICS and implemented in Tanzania by several partners: the leader is the NGO L'Africa Chiama; the Italian partners are COPE and IBO Italia; the Tanzanian partners are Shivyawata Tanzania Federation of Disabled People's Organizations and Nyololo Hospital. The Twende Hockey Foundation is the Dutch partner.

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The project, which will last three years, has the overall objective of contributing to the improvement of the living conditions of children and young people with disabilities living in the Iringa region (Tanzania), with a particular focus on basic services, with a specific focus on health and education.

In particular, it aims to promote access to prevention, diagnosis, health, community-based rehabilitation and socio-educational inclusion services for children and young people with disabilities (0-15 years) and their families in the provinces of Iringa Rural, Mufindi and Kilolo.

To reduce the incidence of neonatal disabilities through prevention, screening and awareness targeting women of reproductive age and pregnant women in the identified provinces, various activities will be carried out, such as:

·  To raise awareness among women of childbearing age from 15 to 45 years on the issue of reproductive, maternal and child health

·  Health Telemedicine Service for prenatal and postnatal visits to pregnant women

·  Screening activities for pregnant women in 6 selected districts

·  Training activities for healthcare personnel and establishing protocols for the prevention of congenital disabilities

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In order to improve the capacity of health centers in early diagnosis of disabilities in children (0-4), the system of referees and the accessibility of children with disabilities (0-4) to quality rehabilitation treatments in the above-mentioned provinces, it is the intention to launch various activities such as establishing a regional protocol for the certification and referral of children with disabilities, training for health workers and community volunteers on early diagnosis of disabilities and the referee system; families will also be involved in the project's activities, such as, for example, the trainings on the theme of Community-Based Rehabilitation aimed at young mothers of children with disabilities in the health centers involved in the project and the creation of local groups of families with children with disabilities for sharing the above-mentioned methodology and the experiences of integration of people with disabilities.

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Another important step towards achieving greater inclusion of disabled people in Tanzanian society involves supporting students with disabilities in nursery and primary schools in the rural provinces of Iringa, Mufindi and Kilolo through activities with school staff (school staff training, establishment of a network of stakeholders in a "One Health" perspective), the adaptation of schools to the needs of students, the implementation of inclusive sports activities in schools and the awareness of the local community and parents about the importance of early school enrollment of children with a handicap.