Internationale Vereniging Voor Hydrocephalus en Spina Bifida / International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (IF)

The International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (IF) is the world-wide umbrella organisation (INGO) for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus organisations.

IF’s mission is to improve the quality of life of people with Spina Bifida and/or Hydrocephalus throughout the world and to reduce the incidence of neural tube defects and Hydrocephalus by primary prevention. Improving the quality of life and primary prevention are the motivation for everything IF undertakes. This is the same for the IF member associations. The most important way to fulfil that mission is to spread knowledge and to encourage contact between parents and persons with Spina Bifida and/or Hydrocephalus.

The importance of contact is recognition, not feeling alone or isolated, learning from each other. Parents as well as persons with Spina Bifida and/or Hydrocephalus often mention how important these contacts are. Knowledge is the first essential step towards minimising the effects of impairment. It ensures that people with Spina Bifida and/or Hydrocephalus are full partners in decision making and that carers, professionals and persons with Spina Bifida and/or Hydrocephalus all have access to the latest information.