BISP partners with NDF for rehabilitation of physically, mentally challenged kids

ISLAMABAD: The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Disability & Development Forum (NDF) to work in joint collaboration for the rehabilitation of mentally and physically disabled children.

The MoU was signed by DG Complementary Initiatives from BISP and CEO NDF Abid Lashari in the presence of Secretary BISP Omar Hamid Khan.

NDF has its operational working scope across the country. The organization is extensively working in collaboration with planning and development department, Sindh, to rehabilitate the mentally and physically challenged children of the society, since 2007.

Full scale rehabilitation services are given by the NDF including physiotherapy, psychotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and it provides independent living to 100 children with intellectual disabilities.

“The intellectually challenged children need regular therapies which require professional care and adequate facilities to bring the neglected one’s to the main stream society,” CEO NDF Abid Lashari explained.

As per the MoU, the BISP will provide data of BISP beneficiaries in the selected districts to NDF as per data sharing protocol of the BISP. Moreover, it is envisioned that the collaboration would involve children of BISP beneficiaries, which has any mental retardation and physical disabilities (Intellectual Disability) from the most underprivileged segments of the society to be rehabilitated and supported to live their lives independently, enabling mothers to reduce their expenses related to disability of their children with free care and cure.

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NDF will also share quarterly and annual reports of all activities.

The CEO NDF apprised the secretary BISP that the organization was also successfully maintaining the database of disabled children and consistently trying to rehabilitate them through therapies.

As per the agreement, initially 100 mentally challenged BISP’s beneficiary children will be added into the support net of NDF.

The BISP has also recently participated in Special Olympics, Pakistan, in collaboration with the NDF.