Establishing a training programme for rehabilitation aides in Haiti: successes, challenges, and dilemmas

In Haiti, there are scarce resources available for physical rehabilitation. Healing Hands for Haiti International Foundation has established a rehabilitation aide programme as a means of providing rehabilitation services. This article illustrates some of the successes, challenges, and dilemmas that arise in the provision of such an education.

Graduates and students answered a 23-item questionnaire designed to investigate respondents' perceptions of the training programme. These responses were then coded and quantified for analysis.

The author interviewed 32 of 49 graduates and current students. Forty-five percent of graduates were working as rehabilitation aides, and the majority of those were working in urban areas. Graduate's earnings differed greatly. Respondents suggested that the programme needed to help the graduates find employment after graduation and to provide continuing training. The most common limitation in education mentioned by the graduates was a need for basic nursing skills and first-aid education.

The most common difficulties and dilemmas in providing a rehabilitation aide programme were: lack of resources including job opportunities for graduates, and lack of proper support available from supervising healthcare providers. Curricula for similar programs must be culturally sensitive, help create employment opportunities, and provide continuing educational opportunities for their graduates.