Service Learning

After careful observation and discussion with the staff and administration of the center, this year’s group of occupational therapy practice placement students presented ergonomics education and training. All parties felt this would be a valuable and sustainable service-learning project for the staff and administration of the center.

Students researched principles of ergonomics and developed an excellent PowerPoint presentation and practical training course to protect their backs during daily activities such as washing dishes, cleaning, working in the garden, positioning for sleep, desk work, and core strengthening exercises.

During the course they took photographs to create a poster for the facility to remind staff and administration of techniques for back safety during daily activities.

Participants compared their traditional lifting and weeding techniques with techniques taught in the course.

Discussions were lively and staff members generalized the knowledge to other activities of daily living such as bathing and laundry.

Feedback from staff and administration was excellent and we saw many more opportunities for occupational therapists to contribute to ergonomic education throughout the nation.

Home Care

We visited a 4 month old boy with Down Syndrome in his home. In this way, practical placement students can experience the natural environment of the child and family, the same travel distance the child and mother experience when traveling to the early intervention center where we are based, and can provide the best recommendations to the family in keeping with what is possible in their home environment.

In preparation we made some toys from local materials to assist in advancement of his development.

This blanket is made from second hand clothing. We used high contrast and bright colors to stimulate visual development and added other materials for further auditory, visual, and tactile exploration.

Some sections included shiny/reflective material to further stimulate visual exploration and tassles for him to explore orally and with his fingers.

Other sections included various textures both on the surface material and buried within to stimulate tactile exploration. Some sections also included plastic bags (sewn inside) which make a crinkling sound to stimulate auditory feedback when he explores.

Students also practiced using a standardized motor development test and wrote a report for the family including recommendations to encourage his next developmental steps.

Recent Developments

Occupational therapy connections continue in Ethiopia. Highlights include:

·      Five occupational therapy students from Belgium and Sweden are completing their practical placements and research in Addis Ababa with children with intellectual delays

·      We will train staff of Ethiopia’s first home health company on hygiene in home care, transfers, exercise techniques, and the basic tenets of occupational therapy

·      We’ve made a fabulous connection with Ethiopia’s only speech therapist to support her work to expand from cleft palate to children with other developmental delays and for her to support our work to grow the field of occupational therapy

·      We attended a symposium on supporting new medical schools throughout Ethiopia and learned valuable information regarding program development for the upcoming occupational therapy degree program

Adwa Day

Ethiopia is the only nation in Africa not to have been colonized. This is an extreme source of pride in this country.

Today, as this nation remembers with pride their defeat of the Italians in the battle of Adwa in 1896, I reflect on occupational justice and occupational apartheid in Ethiopia through a photo essay demonstrating the difficulties Ethiopians face achieving basic sustenance, despite a plethora of international aid, development corporations, NGOs, laws, and policies giving all Ethiopians equal rights to self determination, freedom of religion, inclusion, and pursuit of a meaningful life.

Construction workers in the capital

Open sewers in Kechene

Morning commute among construction in Meganagna

Morning commute near Blue Nile Falls

Coming home from market near Blue Nile Falls

Fetching water near Blue Nile Falls

Shepherd boy

Fisherman, Lake Tana