In attendance at the presentation were (l to r): Dean Richard
Reznick, Liberal MP Ted Hsu, Conservative MP Gord Brown,
Saima Hossain, daughter of Bangladesh Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina, Steven Liss, VP (Research) and Malcolm
Peat, ICACBR director. Photo by Lars Hagberg

Queen’s University researchers are working to improve the lives of children and youth with disabilities living in Bangladesh.

The Queen’s-based International Centre for the Advancement of Community Based Rehabilitation (ICACBR) has received $5 million from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to provide access to education and health care for children and youth with disabilities in this developing country. ICACBR is leading the Access to Health and Education for all Children and Youth with Disabilities (AHEAD) program over the next six years.

“We are extremely grateful to the Canadian International Development Agency for making the AHEAD project possible for the International Centre for Community Based Rehabilitation (ICACBR) at Queen’s University.” said Dr. Richard Reznick, Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences. ”ICACBR has a 20-year record of service to some 18 nations with some of the most vulnerable populations on the planet. None of this would be possible without visionary organizations like CIDA.”

The investment will help Queen’s University improve the skills of rehabilitation workers and teachers to integrate children with disabilities into their communities and classrooms in Bangladesh and also increase access to health, education and protection services for 13,000 children and youth, particularly girls, with disabilities in Bangladesh.

This initiative will also help Bangladesh implement the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

CIDA is the Canadian International Development Agency. Its mission is to lead Canada’s international effort to help people living in poverty. The three priorities are increasing food security, securing the future of children and youth and stimulating sustainable economic growth.