Handicap International supports the Community Development Program Sindhuli (CDPS), a local association based in the central region of Nepal. The organization provides physiotherapy services, advice and guidance tailored to each patient's pathology. Prakash Thapaliya, Program Disability Coordinator for Handicap International, recently spoke with one of the patients, Ram Hari. Here is his account:

Ram Hari, 45, lives in the village of Majhuwa in Sindhuli, with his wife and two sons, aged 14 and 16. He worked for 18 years in the District Court, helping clients fill out forms correctly.

Two years ago, Ram developed a neurological problem. "I felt a great weakness in the legs and I could not walk straight," he recalls. At first, he sought local treatment. "I went to traditional healers who practiced religious activities, such as chicken sacrifices to pacify the angry demons, which I thought [were] causing my problem. But that did little to ease my suffering,” he said.

Unable to work, Ram had no way to support his family. He went to Kathmandu for treatment, but returned home in a worsened condition. That's when his parents advised him to go to the physiotherapy center at CDPS.

"On arrival at the center, his condition was serious,” said a physical therapist at CDPS. “He suffered from tetraparesis (weakness of all four limbs. After some physical therapy, he learned to walk with a walker, then with a walking stick. For two months, he regularly came to the center. Gradually, he began to walk without support.”

During the visit to Sindhuli, I had the chance to speak with Ram at his place of employment. He walked as if he had never had a problem. I thought about Ram's story on my way back to Kathmandu. His story underlines the importance of locally available services to treat and prevent disability.

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