The goal of Mission east is to enable children with disabilities and women to claim their human rights. This year Norway has supported the organization with 600 000 NOK.
Because of the difficult border situation and the state of the roads (during the winter they are closed for 2-4 months) this area is isolated. The number of disabled children is relatively high in these villages, partly due to the inaccessibility of proper treatment in cases of high fever, and sometimes due to interrelated marriages.
Scott Amis, the local project leader, explained that these children usually get treated with outdated methods such as strong medication or electro shock therapy, which in most cases are not helpful and in some cases makes things even worse. Because of the stigma attached to having disabled children they are often left to lie at home, isolated from society. Lack of fresh air and daylight contribute to the worsening of their state. In some cases the lack of knowledge on how to feed them properly can be fatal.
Mission east cooperates with the local government and NGOs to improve the life quality and participation in society of disabled children through education and modern therapy methods. Victor and Maja witnessed the overwhelmingly positive results of their work both in their center in Penjakent town, and during home visits in the surrounding villages.
They also attended one of the tutorials where woman are taught by other woman from the local NGO “Nuri Umed” about their legal rights, such as divorce, marriage registration, property and inheritance. Through the program Nearest Neighbor Network (NNN), over 800 women a month are being taught on these issues. These women then go out to their neighbors, friends and family and share what they have learned. According to Mission East, the training will reach out to around 3000 people due to this “snowball effect”.