CRP arranged free Cleft Lip, Palate surgery camp
Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP) arranged a Cleft Lip and Palate surgery camp from 5th to 13th December, 2011. The surgery camp was sponsored by APL (Bangladesh) PVT. LTD. A 9-member team led by Dr. Edward Zebovitz, Oral and Maxillofacial surgeon, from Surgeons for Smiles, USA conducted 70 operations during the camp.Mr. Ranjit Kumar Biswas, NDC, Honorable Secretary, Ministry of Social Welfare inaugurated the Cleft Lip and Palate surgery camp on 10th December, 2011 at CRP-Savar.

CRP’s Occupational Therapists joined 5th Asia Pacific Occupational Therapy Congress:
A team comprised of six occupational therapists from CRP joined the 5th Asia Pacific Occupational Therapy Congress (APOTC 2011) held from November 19th – 24th, 2011 in Thailand organized by the Occupational Therapy Association of Thailand and Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Chiang Mai University. It focused on making occupational therapy best practice, effective and applicable to diverse cultural contexts with educational symposia and workshops.

CRP observed International Day of Persons with Disabilities:
As elsewhere in the world, CRP observed the “20th International Day of Persons with Disabilities:” on 3rd December, 2011. This year’s theme of the day was “Together for a better world for all: Including persons with disabilities in development”. To mark the day 350 of CRP’s patients, students and staff took part in a rally that started from CRP’s head office at Savar. The colourful rally was sponsored by Epyllion Group. The rally finally merged with other rallies, those brought out by different NGOs in Savar. Speakers addressing the rally urged everyone to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. They pledged to increase the inclusion of persons with disabilities in every aspect of life.

Regular fundraising continues to be strong from URC Daventry, St. Michael’s at Marden and from Scotland, where there was good success at the Royal Hospital, Gartnavel, Glasgow. There are some good initiatives elsewhere as donations are made in place of Christmas card costs.

Scotland
11th October 2011 - VTT had an information stall at a workshop in the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland given by Clarence Adoo the quadriplegic musician who was a professional trumpeter. Rolf Gelhaar, composer, invented and instrument “Headspace” which Clarence amazingly can play.

Valerie was present at this event and was able to contribute to the discussion. It looks as though there may be a resulting link between the Royal Conservatoire and the Queen Elizabeth Spinal Injuries Unit in Glasgow. Find out more about this amazing musician at www.clarence.org.uk.

- A top trumpeter and committed Salvationist whose career was tragically cut short
- Paralysed from neck down in a road accident
- Saved from iron lung by strong diaphragm due to his trumpet playing
- Was declined physiotherapy, but can now move an arm “a miracle”, say doctors.
- An exceptionally positive and inspirational man who doesn’t complain.

29th October 2011 - The Balmore Coach House near Glasgow have promised a percentage of their profits for that day. Although not the best of weather for business still we will have just over £300 on the day. . A few VTT folk helped to make purchases! Photo to follow

2nd December 2011 - VTT ( or should I say really Margaret !) produced an abundance of Home Baking for a stall run by the One World Shop at our local Psychiatric Hospital, Gartnavel Royal Hospital. With one or two donations we reached again just over £300.

Congratulations to all those involved in the events All this helps to add up to the £100,000 we aim to raise each year. If you have held an event or hope to host one in the coming months then please contact us with the details

Valerie Taylor
Follow this link to listen to the news article on Valerie Taylor, recorded last month on local BBC radio station www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-16082592

Update on Peter Donnelly
Peter Donnelly is the man we reported on in an earlier edition of UK news. He is in a wheelchair but despite this he has been travelling from CRP to England on a fundraising mission. You will have some of his story already on the website somewhere. It is all for the new clinic at Moulavibazar. Peter Donnelly has already raised over £5,500 for the Moulavibazar project. Read more about this on the CRP website here

Returned Volunteer
Hannah Munzer spent two months at CRP earlier this year. See all her pictures and the account she gives of her time there. (Link to article on facebook page) If you have been inspired by this story and would like to be a volunteer please see the CRP website for more details

Become a Member in 2012
Please consider helping the very poor disabled patients and their families by joining the Valerie Taylor Trust. Membership is £2 per month (minimum). If paid by standing order VTT receives a guaranteed income. However you don’t need to be a member to donate. The Trust is run entirely by volunteers so the charity running costs are extremely low. Funds are raised by a network of volunteers throughout the country. We aim to send £100,000 per year to CRP.

The VTT Autumn 2011 Newsletter is now available by clicking on the following link - VTT Autumn 2011 Newsletter

Valerie Taylor is expected to be in the UK next May 2012 and is hoping to join all VTT members at the AGM. More details to follow

Scotland - 29th October 2011
‘The Balmore Coach House is having an “Open Day” on behalf of the Valerie Taylor Trust on Saturday 29th October 10am - 4.30pm. A great opportunity to find out more about Balmore and also to support the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed in Bangladesh.Teas and coffees and light lunches available in a small coffee shop. A great selection of Fairtrade products, gifts and Charity Christmas Cards. This will be a very good Christmas shopping opportunity.’

Ilminster Christmas Sale - 11th November 2011
There will be a chance to buy cards from CRP at the Charity Christmas Gifts and Cards day here in Ilminster on Friday November 11th at the Meeting House Arts Centre, East Street from 10 am to 4 pm. As well as CRP, the following charities will have stands - Children’s Hospice South West, Ferne Animal Sanctuary, Tearfund and Traidcraft, St. Margaret’s Hospice, Save the Children Fund, RNLI (Lifeboats) and Purple Field Productions It will be our 25th annual card day. There are lots of good places for morning coffee, lunches and afternoon tea at the Meeting House and in and around Ilminster.

Scotland
A wee snippet of the notice for the local church St. John’s Renfield in Glasgow. There was a very successful VTT stall at the Edinburgh Mela 3rd-4th September organised by Amy Jensen and facilitated by Dr. Wali Tasar Uddin. Although we were unable to fund raise at this event we had a lot of interest.

We had another stall at the coffee morning during Glasgow’s “Open Doors” event at St. John’s Renfield Church in Glasgow which had its doors open that weekend.

In association with the new Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (previously the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama) we had a very close association with a marvellous Workshop.Tuesday 11th October. Clarence Adoo, the trumpeter, who as the result of a road accident is tetraplegic, with Rolf Gehlhaar, the inventer of Headspace,an instrument which allows Clarence to perfom again, gave a great demonstration of this instrument. VTT had a stall at the event. Valerie was present at this event and took part in the proceedings.As a result a strong link has been made with the Queen Elizabeth Spinal Injuries Unit in Glasgow and the Royal Conservatoire.

On the 29th October VTT is to have a “day” at the Balmore Coach House Trust Shop which is a charitable Fairtrade shop which gives all it’s profits to charity at home and abroad. For that day Balmore will give a percentage of it’s profits to VTT.

Daventry
Sponsored walk raises over £200
Many thanks to Pam Smith in Daventry, who wrote to let us know that a donation of £208.00 had been raised from a sponsored walk organised by a 14 yr old girl, Tiffany Isom. She was accompanied by a friend, Laura, and Keith and Mez Bishop, Valerie Taylor`s sister. Congratulations to Tiffany for managing this amazing effort and also for her recent baptism.

If you have been inspired by this or have recently organised a fundraising event please let us know. The VTT relies on all the efforts to make a real difference to the services that the Centre in Bangladesh can provide.

International Red Cross and CRP
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Centre for Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP) and The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on 29th September, 2011. Mr. Shafiq-ul Islam, Executive Director, CRP and Mr. Christoph Vogt, Head of Delegation, ICRC, Bangladesh signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organizations.

WHO estimates that in Bangladesh approximately 750,000 persons are in need of physical rehabilitation services. CRP is one of the few organisations striving to develop and provide theseservices.

The International Red Cross has been supporting the CRP’s Orthotics service from 2003 to 2009. Read more at www.crp-bangladesh.org

Other Exciting CRP Developments
In December a team from the US will be at CRP to carry out 50 cleft palate operations, working with the Speech and Language Department.

Later this year a Neuro surgeon from Leeds Reaching Hospital Trust – Jake Timothy – will be at CRP to treat some problem spinal cases. He will also be running some workshops for surgeons in Bangladesh.

Follow all these events on www.crp-bangladesh.org

Volunteers
The Valerie Taylor Trust plays a vital role in sending volunteers to CRP. This section will be profiling some of the many that go to Bangladesh from the UK. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer or have recently returned from CRP then please get in touch

Over the years, CRP has benefited greatly from the input of volunteer workers from Bangladesh and overseas. There are two categories of volunteer: long-term volunteers, who often come to work at their chosen profession e.g. physiotherapists, and short-term volunteers, who perform a wide variety of jobs.

Long-term volunteers
There is a great need for trained physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists to work at CRP. If coming for a longer period (six months or more), it would be desirable to have at least two years’ post graduate experience. The need is greatest in the Bangladesh Health Professions Institute where experience therapists are required to train students and supervise placements. Lecturing experience is not required and all courses are taken in English. Student placements are located in CRP, hospitals in Dhaka and elsewhere in Bangladesh.

Short-term Volunteers
Short-term volunteers work in any department at CRP. Usually, a volunteer will have special interests or skills which lead him or her to work in a specific area. However, the need to be flexible and use one’s initiative is very important. For prospective short-term volunteers it should be stressed that there are very many mundane tasks to be done at CRP. The joy of working at CRP comes not from the task itself, but rather, from the reason for performing that task.

Five days a week there are sports activities for patients in the afternoon. This is popular among volunteers who help organising different games, and often participate themselves. Activities include wheelchair basketball, archery, darts and skittles.

Secure accommodation on CRP premises is provided at minimal cost for the duration of a volunteer’s stay at CRP. For short-term volunteers this will be in the CRP Guest House where there are single or double rooms. Double rooms will usually be shared with another volunteer. Shared cooking facilities and bathroom are available on both floors of the Guest House. If staying for more than six months at CRP there are flats to rent on the premises. Again, these will usually be shared with other volunteers. Conditions in both the Guest House and the flats are basic by European standards. Electricity and cold running water are provided. Meals can be ordered for a minimal cost. Most volunteers order lunch and make their own dinner and breakfast.

Excursions to places of interest are often arranged for volunteers, either with patients, staff or as a group of volunteers. To help prospective volunteers get a realistic idea of what living and working at CRP is really like, we have compiled a selection of reports from returned volunteers.

Firuz Carmelia Isa is preparing to go to CRP in the near future. She writes:

“I wanted to go to CRP because I have always felt a deep connection to Bangladesh and its peole. I am studying occupational therapy and I chose to do my fieldwork at CRP due to its status as a recognizable institution which is one of its kind in the country. I hope to learn as much as I can on the work of an OT in a country like Bangladesh and I hope to go away feeling that I have helped many people and that the people have helped me become a better therapist.”

We wish Firuz good luck and look forward to hearing how she gets on.

If you would like more information on Volunteering visit www.crp-Bangladesh.org

The New Web site!
The Centre for the Rehabilitation of the paralysed Has launched its new look website!! Take a look at www.crp-bangladesh.org. News of the launch of the new look Valerie taylor Trust site will follow shortly – WATCH THIS SPACE !!

Two amazing fundraising and Awareness Raising Trips to inspire you…

Mohoram Ali
A well known face of the CRP family, Mr. Mohoram Ali has embarked on a world tour in his wheelchair to address the issue of World disability Fund and to raise awareness about the rights of the people with disability.

The journey started on Saturday 25th June, 2011 from Central Shaheed Minar, Dhaka. He will reach Washington DC after travelling across 3 continents and 16 countries for a total distance of 18,700 kilometres. His effort will not only create mass awareness about the rights of the people with disability throughout the world but also set an example to everyone that, with determination and courage, no barrier should stand in the way of chasing a dream.
Currently just about to reach Poland you can follow his progress on Facebook.com/groups/mohoramwheels

We congratulate Mr. Mohoram Ali on this wonderful and remarkable initiative and wish him great success in this endeavour.

Peter Donnelly
Congratulations are extended to Peter Donnelly, who has safely completed his fantastic ‘Roll Back Home’ after a journey from CRP via Nepal, China, Russia, and across Europe in his wheelchair. He recently visited the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport to give a presentation on his journey.
Donations via JustGiving are still coming in but, so far, over £3000 has been donated. It is Peter’s wish that all these donations will help to fund the CRP - Moulvibazar Project near Sylhet.

On 21 May, 2011, the Valerie Taylor Trust held our Annual General Meeting at St. Paul’s Church Centre, Rossmore Road, London, NW1 6NJ.

Minutes of the Meeting (PDF) - Annual General Meeting Minutes - 21 May 2011