The physiotherapy programme was our first project at Hoi An Orphanage. We began with one newly graduated Vietnamese physiotherapist and a very small, run-down Orphanage room. Despite such humble beginnings, we quickly began to see positive results. Over the years we have witnessed minor miracles, with children who have never walked before, doing so, and also learning to become more independent by, for example, learning to feed themselves or go to the toilet. Of course, not all of the children in our care are able to achieve such significant milestones, but we get just as excited when one of them is able to sit unassisted for two minutes or make some other breakthrough that will have a profound affect upon their lives.

Our Vietnamese physiotherapists are given extensive further training by western paediatric professionals (chiefly Kalli Heinemann from Germany and Danielle Hinwood from Australia) who focus their skills on setting and working towards functional goals for the children. The motto of our physiotherapy programme is, "Participation is the cornerstone of development." The kids in our programme work hard!

Running an effective physiotherapy programme in Vietnam can be extremely challenging. An insight into the difficulties NGOs face when trying to improve standards of treatment can be found on the website of a US non-profit organisation called Steady Footsteps who operate in Danang City, 30 minutes drive from Hoi An. Click here for details: http://www.steadyfootsteps.org/2009/06/