CLASP International is a 501c3 organization that allows certified speech-language pathologists and other rehabilitation professionals to go into international countries where specialized care for children and adults with special needs is not practiced and provide graduate level training to the natives of that country. The mission is to provide self-sustaining programming that allows each country to pass along training to future professionals working with special needs populations. Currently, CLASP is inserting programming at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia in Africa.
Zambia, located in south central Africa, is the size of Texas, and yet it only has one speech pathologist, one craniofacial surgeon and two otolaryngologists. English is the national language. Zambia has a little over 9.5 million people in it, but 1.25 million of these people are children who have been orphaned due to AIDS and other poverty-related issues. Zambia has the higher per capita orphan rate in the world.
Babies born with craniofacial abnormalities, hearing loss, blindness or other disabilities are considered a “curse.” Therefore, these children are often left in toilets, burned for sacrificial reasons, killed or starved to death. Those that are rescued continue to battle against the odds with poor medical support and living conditions.
CLASP International is a voice for these children and adults with disabilities.
- Location: Dallas, Texas 75214
- Visit the website: claspinternational.org