Jean has proved that she is passionate about working to help others and has volunteered or worked in many African, European, Asian and Caribbean countries running courses in child development and assistive equipment.
Through her training as a nurse combined with her sociology/social anthropology degree, Jean has developed a holistic approach to working with people including those with cerebral palsy. As a World of Difference winner, Jean, who lives in Hampshire, will now work full-time for one year with Scottish charity Cerebral Palsy Africa to establish a training/resource centre in the UK and link with key people in Africa. This will be used to train therapists to assist in Africa as well as to design, make and field-test low-cost equipment that can vastly improve the lives of those with cerebral palsy.
Cerebral Palsy Africa aims to help children with cerebral palsy in Ghana, Kenya, Malawi and Zambia in three ways: by training local physiotherapists to a high level who can then go on to train parents and community workers, by setting up sustainable workshops to make special equipment such as chairs and standing frames for children to use at home and by raising awareness of the benefits of therapy to families, doctors, community leaders and government departments.
More information on Cerebral Palsy Africa is available at: http://www.cerebralpalsyafrica.org.
