What we do

Physical rehabilitation

Although the ICRC had undertaken some physical rehabilitation activities before 1979, setting up the Physical Rehabilitation Programme (PRP) that year marked the beginning of a major commitment in this field. Over time, the ICRC has acquired a leadership position in physical rehabilitation, mainly because of the scope of its activities worldwide, the development of its in-house technology, its acknowledged expertise and its long-term commitment to assisted projects. Read full overview

Highlights

Reference documents

Facts and Figures

In 2011, the ICRC:

supported 92 physical rehabilitation projects in 28 countries and territories;
provided physical rehabilitation services for more than 222,000 people;
ran prosthetics and orthotics courses in Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Sudan;
funded training in prosthetics, orthotics and physiotherapy for 50 people;
ran socio-economic reintegration programmes for people with disabilities in Cambodia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.

In 2011, ICRC-assisted centres served over 220,000 people, providing:

19,740 prostheses, of which over 7,400 were for victims of mines or other explosive remnants of war;
52,800 orthotic devices;
3,492 wheelchairs;
15,650 pairs of crutches;
physiotherapy for nearly 80,000 people.

In images More images

Publications More publications

Towards social inclusion: physical rehabilitation programme

This brochure promotes the ICRC's physical rehabilitation work, describing the benefits of these services for disabled people.
Physical rehabilitation programme: Annual report 2010

Since 1979, the ICRC's physical rehabilitation activities have diversified and expanded throughout the world. Between 1979 and 2010, the ICRC's Physical Rehabilitation Programme provided support for 144 projects in 44 countries and one territory.