Since August 2017, almost a million people from Rakhine state, Myanmar have fled violence in Myanmar sought refuge across the border into Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. In Myanmar, services for people with disabilities were extremely limited, with most never having received rehabilitation or psychosocial support in their lifetime. Medical services were restricted to traditional healers and village doctors, and many experienced discrimination and ignorance from service providers about their specific requirements.
In December 2017, CBM Global and the Centre for Disability in Development (CDD) established a comprehensive health and rehabilitation program based on rapid assessment results conducted with Arbeiter Samariter Bund (ASB). The program focused on providing accessible primary health care and rehabilitation services under one roof, complemented by a Home-based Rehabilitation (HBR) team for those unable to reach the health center.
An Age and Disability Working Group (ADWG) was established under the leadership of CBMG, CDD, Humanity & Inclusion, and HelpAge International to promote inclusion of persons with disabilities in humanitarian response and ensure coordination among rehabilitation service providers. Despite four years of humanitarian services, significant gaps in rehabilitation services remained.
To address these gaps with limited resources, CBMG and CDD, supported by the New Zealand Aid Programme, piloted an innovative "Outreach Rehabilitation Team" model in partnership with the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS), with support from IFRC.