KnowCP - Cerebral Palsy Information and Resource Center

The Cerebral Palsy Association (Eastern Cape) has identified a need to assist individuals and families affected by cerebral palsy to assist themselves, by providing information about cerebral palsy, and information about the resources available to assist persons and families affected by cerebral palsy, to serve the South African community.

Cerebral palsy affects individuals from all economic sectors, and all social and race groups. It is believed that cerebral palsy affects one individual in 400 births - which means that about 1600 children are diagnosed with cerebral palsy in South Africa each year.

There is no cure for cerebral palsy. Generally, treatment focuses on a number of therapies such as physiotherapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and sometimes also surgical intervention. These are directed at assisting the child to develop and achieve more things for themselves.

The task facing individuals and families affected by cerebral palsy in South Africa is somewhat daunting, and is made even more so because there is as yet no principal resource in South Africa to which parents and professionals can turn to obtain accurate and extensive information and knowledge specifically about cerebral palsy in the local South African context.

The Cerebral Palsy Association has therefore established a cerebral palsy information and resource center, based in Port Elizabeth. The Association has identified the resource and funding requirements for the project, and is continually approaching corporate sponsors for support with funding.

The Information and Resource Center is branded as "KnowCP". This conveys the image of the center as a source of credible and authoritative knowledge about cerebral palsy, and at the same time invites visitors to "get to know" cerebral palsy.




A series of printed booklets containing information on cerebral palsy has been developed. These booklets are available in English, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Zulu, SeSotho and Sepedi, and are utilised as part of awareness campaigns through hospitals, schools and community clinics, as well as through medical aid companies. The layout of the printed information booklets is shown below. These layouts may change in time to adapt to new and evolving requirements. We also have a distribution campaign to community clinics, hospitals, pre-schools etc.