4. Update from the ISPO International Secretariat
The ISPO Office in Copenhagen is staffed by three part-time secretaries: Karen Schmidt (Education), Birte Nielsen and Rikke Thorup, and an Office Manager Niels Pedersen. All enquiries should be directed to ispo@ispoint.org
2009 begins for ISPO Secretariat
2008 has come to an end and the new year is already a few weeks old. We can look back at a year full of interesting challenges. The Secretariat has been involved in several projects to improve the effectiveness of the office procedures, and we will make an effort to keep up a high level of service to everyone who needs our help.
National Member Society support
What has meant the most to us this year is the great support from National Member Societies and members all over the world. Thanks to the contribution from all of you, ISPO has maintained the high numbers of members - more than 3000. Furthermore several new National Member Societies were either approved by the Executive Board or have started to function provisionally: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Mexico, Norway (re-established), Cambodia, Spain and South-Africa. We are looking very much forward to the future collaboration with these new National Members Societies.
Steering Committee of the USAID-grant visit the Secretariat
The Steering Committee of the USAID-grant within ISPO met on Tuesday, January 6th 2009 at the ISPO Head office in Copenhagen. The Secretariat was honoured to host this meeting and enjoyed the company of Rob Horvath (bottom left) and Mel Stills (top right) from the Leahy War Victims Fund as well as Dan Blocka (top middle), Jan Geertzen (top left) and Steen Jensen (bottom right).
The Secretariat was honoured to host this meeting and enjoyed the company of Rob Horvath (bottom left) and Mel Stills (top right) from the Leahy War Victims Fund as well as Dan Blocka (top middle), Jan Geertzen (top left) and Steen Jensen (bottom right).
The new grant - “Facilitating rehabilitation of people with physical disability in developing countries through education and training of prosthetic-orthotic professionals” - runs from September 2009 to September 2013.
Among other projects this grant will fund another 125 scholarships in the profession of prosthetics and orthotics at schools accredited by ISPO in non-industrialized countries. Under the previous grant - running from 2003 to 2008 - 115 P & Os were awarded scholarships and trained at TATCOT in Tanzania, PIPOS in Pakistan, VIETCOT in Vietnam, CSPO in Cambodia and UDB in El Salvador. The schools select the students eligible for funding and submit the proposals to ISPO for further scrutiny and decision by the management of the grant. Information about application at accredited schools can be found at the ISPO website: www.ispo.ws
A significant amount has been allocated for the development of outcome measures that will facilitate the upgrading of education systems and teachers and as such have an impact on P & O education as well as users or physically disabled people.
The steering committee for the USAID grant discusses activity.
Contact the Secretariat
You are always welcome to contact the Secretariat. If you have any queries, we will be glad to assist you.
ISPO Secretariat
International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics
Hans Knudsens Plads 1A
DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
Phone: +45 39 20 72 60
Fax: +45 39 20 75 01
E-mail: ispo@ispoint.org
Web: www.ispo.ws
Please visit www.ispo.ws
