By Greg Fry

Tales of Therapy in Rural India

Footsteps To Freedom – Tales of Therapy in Rural India

May 15, 2019 | 8:10 AM

PRINCE GEORGE — Hilary is excited to announce the launch of her recently published book FOOTSTEPS TO FREEDOM – Tales of Therapy in Rural India. This book follows several children with disability from infancy, when Hilary first met them in 1994, to now, 25 years later. It follows their progress through rehabilitation and education to transformation from crawling on the ground to upright mobility, dignity and productive employment.

Hilary first went to India in 1994 to train a small team of village rehabilitation workers and to develop Samuha’s community based disability program. She stayed there for a year and has been returning every year since for six weeks annually to provide more training and further develop the program. In 1996 she, together with physiotherapy and occupational therapy colleagues, founded a non-profit society, Samuha Overseas Development Association, (SODA) to provide funds for Samuha’s disability program in India. S.O.D.A. received charitable status in 2000 and has been sending $20,000. annually to help progress this program.

Through the generosity of Prince George donors, Samuha now has a well-respected early intervention centre for children under six years of age as well as a much needed spinal cord injury centre. Hilary has been taking Canadian physiotherapy and occupational therapy students with her to India for their practicums since 2002. Thirty six students have already benefitted from this experience, learning cultural humility as well enhancing their therapy skills. Hilary will be returning to Samuha in India in November with four more students.

Samuha’s disability program has expanded from five disability workers in 1994 to twenty seven currently. It has expanded from one rural location with one orthotic workshop to three locations with three orthotic workshops, a spinal cord injury centre and an early intervention centre. Our charity, S.O.D.A. has expanded from sending $1,000.00 in 1996 to now sending a minimum of $20,000.00 annually and we have occasionally sent as much as $40,000.00 for special projects. Most of our fund-raising is done through our annual fund-raising dinner at the Hart Crown Banqueting Centre each October. We also do presentations for school s and community groups.

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Back in the late nineties, the Prince George Rotary Club gave a large donation to S.O.D.A. Most of our work at that time involved children with polio. The elimination of polio world-wide was a major goal of International Rotary and the World Health Organisation. The Prince George club donated $80,000.00 over a two year period. This was significant in building the disability program and establishing S.O.D.A. as a funding charity. Polio has been eradicated in India for the last twelve years, largely thanks to the work of Rotary and WHO.

Physiotherapy is of great importance for the treatment of children with polio. Correction of deformities is done by stretching exercises and serial casting followed by application of braces then gait training and strengthening of the unaffected muscles. The orthotic workshops supply the appropriate braces, shoes and crutches. Samuha also offers vocational training, income generation and facilitates education. Now that polio has been eliminated in India, we work with children with all kinds of disability as well as adults with spinal cord injury.

FOOTSTEPS TO FREEDOM describes the progress of these children as well as the expansion of Samuha and the further development of S.O.D.A. Hilary’s book launch takes place at Art Space, above Books & Co. on Wednesday May 29^th at 7pm. Hilary will show some slides of her work in India, give a couple of short readings and sign copies of her book. She will welcome questions from the audience both on her writing process and on her work in India. So come on out and help her celebrate this achievement! Light refreshments will be available.