CE CAMILO in Colombia
Through a colleague, we learned about CE CAMILO in Colombia. CE CAMILO is a foundation that provides education, rehabilitation, and support to people with disabilities in the poor neighbourhoods of Barranquilla. The foundation started in 1998 with a day care center for fifteen children with disabilities from poor families and has since grown into an organization that provides care to more than 2,500 people with disabilities every year.
The government finances 65% of the foundation; the remaining 35% is financed by income from the orthopedic workshop (28%), contributions from private individuals and parents (2%), and donations (5%).
According to the law, all children with disabilities must attend mainstream education. In practice, however, 40% of these children do not attend school. The children who are able to attend school often do not receive the care they need. They are in classes with 30 to 40 children, there is little adapted teaching material and the teachers often do not know how to deal with them.
CE CAMILO takes care of these children and offers comprehensive care. A physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist, and psychologist work with the children on an individual level, and group activities are also organized with the help of interns. The children also receive music, painting, and sports lessons.
One of the resources the foundation needs is QuickTalkers, a communication tool to help the children communicate. You can program various spoken messages for daily use, which the child can play back by clicking on the corresponding icon. They also use the device to communicate with other people. DFF has been able to donate ten QuickTalkers.
For more information about the foundation: www.cecamilo.org.co
