About Cerebral Palsy Africa
Why was CPA set up?
After many years of living and working in Africa as a paediatric physiotherapist, Archie Hinchcliffe realised the need for children with cerebral palsy to have good therapy early in their lives. She also recognised the potential amongst African physiotherapists to meet this need if they could be given the specialist skills. After trying to persuade development agencies to take on this task and failing because "rehabilitation" is not seen as a priority she decided to set up Cerebral Palsy Africa to provide therapists and others with the knowledge and skills needed to give children with cerebral palsy the support they need.
She was helped in this by Allan Burns, whose daughter, now aged 20, has severe cerebral palsy and who was greatly helped by receiving Bobath treatment when she was young. As a result Allan raised a great deal of money to establish a Bobath Centre in Scotland where he lives. He later raised money for plastic surgery in Ghana and while he was on a visit there realised the huge need for physiotherapy for children with cerebral palsy.
Archie and Allan were put in touch with each other by the Bobath Centre in London and so the idea began to grow into a reality. CPA was established as a Scottish charity (SC036501) in April 2005.
In March 2013, following changes to the law in Scotland, Cerebral Palsy Africa became a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO). The charity's aims and charitable purposes are unchanged as is its charity number: SCO36501.
