Reference :
V-P-AF-E-02769
Date :
03/11/2020
Caption :
Kabul, Ali Abad orthopaedic centre. Staff at the ICRC’s orthopaedic centre assembles parts for prosthetic limbs.
Confidentiality level :
public
Publication restrictions :
publication without restrictions
Description :
ICRC website, article, 09.12.2020
Helping the physically disabled in Afghanistan: a lifetime’s work
Kabul, November 2020 — On a crisp, blue-skied November morning, the Ali Abad orthopaedic centre in Kabul – a sprawling compound catering for the needs of some of the most disadvantaged people in Afghan society – is a hive of activity and enterprise.
(...)
For Alberto, who arrived in Kabul from his native Italy in 1990, it has been his life's work to build up the ICRC's physical rehabilitation programme into what it is today. One of the many remarkable things about the orthopaedic centres – and in Alberto's eyes one of his greatest achievements – is the fact that nearly all the 815 staff themselves have disabilities.
"We implemented this positive discrimination policy from the very start, only employing physically disabled people to work in the centres," says Alberto. "It is good for everyone. The staff understand the needs and challenges first-hand, and for the patients, it gives them hope and motivation," he adds. "It was hard work at first convincing people this would work – even the ICRC – but I was absolutely determined. Today we are much more focused on inclusion and I don't think anyone would reasonably question the logic of what we are doing here now."
The staff understand the needs and challenges first-hand, and for the patients, it gives them hope and motivation.
Resolution :
6000x4000
Orientation :
landscape
Colour/B&W :
colour
