OVCI was present in Palestine from 2000 to 2006, supporting the NGO AISPO in the implementation of the project "Strengthening the operational capacity of the 'Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation' (hence BASR): creation of a Centre of Excellence in Rehabilitation Medicine in Palestine".
BASR runs a neurorehabilitation hospital in Beit Jalla (Bethlehem). It has also activated rehabilitation and inclusive education programmes for the territory.
The commitment of OVCI throughout the project had two main objectives:
- reorganisation of the language therapy service
- strengthening of the Occupational Therapy service and creation of the "Pre-vocational Training" unit
All activities of organisational planning, selection and training of local staff, start-up and consolidation of activities were supported by Italian consultants both locally and in Italy.
In the last part of the project, following the organisational evolution of the BASR Rehabilitation Centre, OVCI also held training initiatives in Palestine on a different theme from what was foreseen at the beginning of the project, in particular in the following areas:
- rehabilitation assistance in the post-intensive phase
- evaluation and management of the neurological patient
- counselling activities for children and teenagers
- conflicts’s mediation
The last two proposals - managed by psychologists - have been introduced to respond to a need presented by the local partner, that of working for children who present psychological suffering related to the conflict situation (PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).
The whole project had a high professional profile and presented itself as an exchange between operators that enriched both the Palestinian and the Italian context. During the project doctors and therapists from La Nostra Famiglia and other structures (child neuropsychiatrists, speech therapists, audiologists, physiotherapists, neurologists, psychologists, occupational therapists) were involved.
The internships of Palestinian staff in Italy have been intensively planned - with one to two months attendance - which have contributed to the creation of engaging human relations also for the OVCI Animation Groups and for the volunteers of other organisations involved in cooperation and peace issues.
