OTARG NEWSLETTER

(Occupational Therapy Africa Regional Group)

January 2012
No. 16

EDITORIAL

The 7th Congress of the Occupational Therapy African Regional Group (OTARG) has come and gone.

This Newsletter is mostly devoted to the Congress where you will find a report and also the full minutes of the AGM of OTARG which has been compiled by Pat de Witt, the new Secretary of OTARG.

The Congresses of OTARG keep the whole organisation together and have assumed enormous importance for the region. This time round we experienced more participation in so many ways. International figures gave brilliant keynote addresses, there were excellent papers presented. Please find a lovely report from Susan Coppola in the Newsletter It is wonderful for us to receive a report form an International Colleague and to see the event from her eyes. Thank you so much Susan.

Just about every participant attended the OTARG AGM, showing their interest in the organisation. There was more than one nomination for each position on the executive. It is a very healthy sign! An excellent executive has been democratically elected, representing a variety of regions in Africa, and we wish Sarah Matovu from Uganda, as our new Chairperson our very best wishes. You will find a profile on her in the Newsletter.

Eckiwe Kamanga and her dedicated team deserve our very grateful thanks for setting aside so much of their time and effort to passionately present this occupational therapy Congress in Livingstone. It shows what she and her professional colleagues are made of!! It isn’t easy when funds are limited and there are very few occupational therapists and other professionals to call upon. It was such a huge success and thank you so much to you all. We had a wonderful time.

The next OTARG Congress will be in two years time in Zimbabwe. Not a minute can be lost in the organisation of this event and all of us need to apply soon for grants and save up our pennies!!

We say good luck and many thanks to Professor Alfred Ramukumba from South Africa, our past Chairperson, and thank him for his great contribution. We hope that he will be involved in OTARG for many years to come.

Please look at the OTARG website for the history of OTARG which I have for many years religiously updated. Jenny Cooke our web-master has put the entire power point presentation on the web now and I hope that you will find it great fun.

We also have a lovely report from Christel Caronne on OT in Mauritius. Thank you Christel.