Gabriella Rehabilitation Centre

Last Thursday, we international occupational therapy students had the privilege to attend Gabriella Children's Rehabilitation Centre just outside of Moshi. It was founded by some people from the first ever cohort of OTs trained in Tanzania. They had an idea of building a centre for kids with Autism Spectrum Disorder and it opened in 2009. It sits on about 15 acres of land that is used wisely. The centre started out with a few clients but has now grown to serve 140 clients, proof that if you persevere with an idea it can grow big.


The programs include intensive weeklong caregiver-child therapy, day school programs, boarding school and vocational skills training. All the activities for vocational training is on-site, whether it's baking (we tasted the bread and it was so fresh and good), masonry (the bricks that are built are made by the kids), gardening (and raising goats and hens).

The therapies were integrated into schooltime so that the therapies were for completing occupations (school) and not therapy just for its own sake. The therapy rooms use sensory integration by isolating each sense in its own room so that kids can regulate with the sense they need (then go back to school).


The centre probably has its own mission and vision, but what I saw were principles of access, capacity building and sustainability.


In short, it was so refreshing to see!