Supporting Children with Disabilities, Bangladesh

by MAITS - Multi-Agency International Training and Support

Project Report | May 21, 2025
Project Visit Report and new Case Studies

By Jenny Simpson | Project Coordinator

Hasan

In May 2025, twelve therapists from CRP’s subcentres across Bangladesh attended advanced training at the organisation’s main campus in Savar, near Dhaka.

Our experienced Master Trainer, Shabnam Rangwala, participated in the training to evaluate whether the current Level 2 trainers are ready to progress to Level 3 certification and qualify as Master Trainers.

At the same time, our Project Coordinator, Jenny, visited the project to observe parts of the training and conduct home visits with families supported by Community Health Workers (CHWs) trained through MAITS. Over the course of two days, Jenny visited six families, each of whom is working with a CHW who completed MAITS training at CRP in December 2024.

These case studies demonstrate the powerful role that Community Health Workers (CHWs) play in improving the lives of children with cerebral palsy and their families. Each child, despite facing unique challenges related to mobility, self-care, and independence, has made meaningful progress in their daily life through consistent, practical support from a CHW. These improvements—such as learning to feed, bathe, or toilet independently—may seem small in isolation but together represent a significant transformation in the quality of life for both the child and their caregivers.

What stands out across all stories is how personalised, relationship-based support empowers not just the child but the entire family. CHWs help parents learn manageable steps for daily care, reduce the physical and emotional burden of caregiving, and restore hope for a more independent future. Whether it's a child pouring water over themselves for the first time or confidently writing with their parent, these moments illustrate that change is possible—and that small skills can lead to big shifts in mindset, inclusion, and well-being.

Hasan’s Story

Hasan is a seven-year-old boy with cerebral palsy who attends CRP’s school. He lives with his mother and older sister, and the family has been receiving support from a trained Community Health Worker (CHW). When the CHW first began working with them, Hasan was unable to grip objects at all.

Thanks to regular support and encouragement, Hasan can now brush his hair independently, sit on a toilet with minimal assistance, feed himself dry foods, and even walk short distances unaided. He is also able to sit and hold a pencil without support—an achievement that has significantly boosted both his confidence and independence.

His mother describes the change as life-changing. One of their favourite activities now is writing together—something that felt impossible before. Hasan’s mindset has shifted; he now thinks, “I can do that”, and he feels more able to take part in classroom activities and learning.

With the continued help of their CHW, the family is now working on further improving Hasan’s dressing and toileting skills. The pride and hope in their home is unmistakable.

Your support makes this possible. By funding projects like this, you help transform the lives of children like Hasan and their families. Please continue to support our work so we can reach even more children in Bangladesh.

Thank you from all of us at MAITS.

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Jan 24, 2025
Sharing our 2025 plans for this project

By Jenny Simpson | Project Coordinator

Trainees from the December 2024 training

MAITS is pleased to share an update on the progress of our collaborative training programme with CRP, aimed at empowering Community Health Workers (CHWs) and therapists with advanced skills to better serve their communities. Your generous support has been instrumental in making this initiative possible, and we are excited to share our plans and milestones.

To maximise the impact of this programme, we have agreed with CRP to conduct three batches of training over several months. This phased approach will enable us to train 50 CHWs and 6 therapists to the L2 level, with the opportunity for three L2 trainers to advance to the prestigious L3 Master Trainer certification.

Upcoming Training Milestones

Batch 1 (December 2024): We kicked off the training programme with 10 CHWs and 6 therapists. All participants received foundational L1 training to ensure that the therapists are thoroughly equipped with the materials they will later use to train CHWs. This foundational training will be led by CRP’s experienced Master Trainers, Fahmida Banu and Lusana Afrin Nirjhar.
Batch 2 (February 2025): In the second round of training, the Master Trainers will guide the sessions, with L2 trainees taking on co-training responsibilities. Therapists who successfully meet L2 certification requirements during this phase will be prepared to lead CHW training in the next batch.
Batch 3 (April 2025): During the final phase, we plan for Shabnam Rangwala, our seasoned Master Trainer from India, to attend. Shabnam has previously assessed trainers at CRP and will evaluate whether the L2 trainers are ready to progress to L3 certification and take on the vital role of Master Trainer.

These steps mark significant progress towards our goal of creating a robust and self-sustaining training programme. By equipping CHWs and therapists with advanced skills, we are collectively enhancing the quality and reach of healthcare services in their communities.

Your support is the foundation of this important work, and we are deeply grateful for your commitment to this cause. We will continue to keep you updated as the programme progresses and look forward to sharing the positive impact your generosity is enabling.

Thank you for being a valued partner in this journey.

Training L1 trainees in December 2024

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Oct 8, 2024
Future plans and celebrating success

By Jenny Simpson | Project Coordinator

L2 Trainers who conducted the training in June

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Findings from CHW cohort trained in July 2023

We have received all monitoring and evaluation forms from the CHWs trained in July 2023. The results are incredible:

At the first visit by the CHW to the family, 94% of parents report their child does not go to school. By the final visit, 50% of parents report that their child is sometimes or often attending school.
At the first visit, 69% of parents report their child is not managing to eat/drink independently. By the final visit, 63% of parents report their child is sometimes or often managing to eat/drink independently.
At the first visit, 88% of parents report their child is not managing with toileting. By the final visit, 75% report that their child is sometimes or often managing toileting independently.

Furthermore:

At the first visit, 88% of parents reported their child to be in poor health in comparison to other children and 13% reported their child to be in good health. By the final visit, this had fallen to zero, and 67% reported their child to be in good health.
At the first visit, 88% of parents reported their child to be rarely or never happy. By the final visit, this had fallen to zero, and 56% reported their child to be mostly happy.
At the first visit, 75% of parents reported themselves to be not at all confident in how to help their child grow and develop. By the final visit, this had fallen to zero, and 69% of parents reported themselves to be mostly confident in helping their child grow and develop.

We are absolutely delighted that the CHWs have had such a positive impact on the lives of the children and families they are working with.

Future plans

At our partner organisation, CRP Bangladesh, we currently have:

2 Level 3 Master Trainers (who can train trainers)
13 Level 2 Trainers (who can train Community Health Workers - CHWs)
8 Level 3 Trainers in Training (awaiting certification)
120 trained CHWs (who work in their communities, visiting families)

We are planning future trainings to develop some of our L2 Trainers at CRP, Bangladesh into L3 Master Trainers. This will enable them to train more therapists as L2 Trainers. It will also develop the team of trainers at CRP, Bangladesh and allow expertise to be disseminated to their subcentres around the country as well as at their main centre in Savar.

L2 Trainers receive certificates

Congratulations to the 3 trainers who received their L2 Certificates for the CHW training they conducted in June 2024.

CHWs trained in June 2024 receive certificates

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