Why we created the CERBC in Ituri

For decades there was no center providing rehabilitation services for handicapped people in Northern DRC, especially in the Aru Territory and surrounding regions.

In the past, the population of Northern DRC had benefited from rehabilitaton care at Nyankunde Hospital (CME) who at the time had provided  orthopedic service, collaborating with the Community-Based Rehablitation Service (RBC) based in Bunia.  Unfortunately, wtih the multiple ethnic wars in Ituri between 1997 and 2005, both CME and RBC were destroyed by militias.

From 2008 - 2013, there was initiative in Bunia named "Simama Synergy”, in collaboration with Caritas, which functioned  in the city of Bunia and its surroundings. Unfortunately this program had also closed in 2013 for unknown reasons.

The disappearance of Orthopedics from CME Nyankunde and Simama Synergy in Bunia has finally left the entire Province of Ituri without a comprehensive rehabilitation service. Additionally, the nearby Provinces of Haut-Uélé and Bas-Uelé (where no rehabilitation program has existed for decades) were in urgent need of a program to provide prevention, rehabilitation and education for people with disabilities.

In 2004, a school for deaf children was initiated in Aru with the aim of educating and training deaf children and adolescents.  Given the immense need for more general rehabilitation care, the school of the deaf (Ecole des Sourds-Muets - ESMA) had transformed into the Center for Education and Community-Based Rehabilitation (CERBC) following the unanimous decision of the General Assembly held in August 2010.  The birth of CERBC in Aru has been beneficial to serve the population of the Ituri Province and Haut-Uélé. The CERBC is located between two other Hospitals that offer orthopedic services: Heal Africa in Goma, 1100 km away in the extreme south of Aru and CoRSU in Kampala Uganda, 650 km away.

Where we work

The smaller left map shows the location of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) within Africa.  The larger map shows where Haut-Uélé and Ituri province are located within DRC.

What we do

Promotion of ear care and hearing

Audiology

Physical Therapy

Audiology

Vocational Training

Objectives

Support Special and Inclusive Education for Children and Youth with hearing and visual impairments, as well as people with physical disabilities at all levels for their integration into social and economic life.

Provide hearing, visual or physical impaired individuals the, necessary materials (sign language training, braille documents, wheelchairs/tricycles/etc) to enable them access to education.

Develop prevention programs to fight against the major causes of disability in all its forms (awareness, identification, basic care, transfer) in collaboration with local / national organizations as well as with the Ministries of Health and international organizations with similar goals.

Establish specialized services with appropriate techniques (Orthopedic Rehabilitation Center, Otology and audiological) to facilitate independence in persons with disabilities

Promote research for those with handicaps.

Provide spiritual support for people with disabilities, especially the Deaf.

Meet our team