Enable 150 Ugandan children rise above disability

KATALEMWA CHESHIRE HOME FOR REHABILITATION SERVICES

REPORT ABOUT SCHOOLS VISITS IN MAYUGE AND KAMULI DISTRICTS, on the 27^th, 28^th July and 11^th and 12^th August 2022.

INTRODUCTION

Katalemwa Cheshire Home is implementing a Community Based Inclusive Development in the Busoga sub region from 2021 to 2023. Promoting inclusive education is one the activities that the project is addressing to enhance an enabling environment in schools.

Under this thematic area, Inclusive school clubs are being formed in primary schools for all the 4 target districts of eastern Uganda. Special Needs Teachers in these schools were first engaged in a training on inclusive education thereafter charged with the responsibility to initiate inclusive school clubs and also act as the patrons. These school clubs have representatives from all classes and learners with disabilities are also included.  The SNE teachers are responsible for mobilizing pupils for meetings and other activities like exchange visits to other clubs within the project. The project staff have the responsibility of occasionally visiting the school clubs to conduct meetings and share about topics on children’s rights, disability inclusion, group management, discussion techniques and self-perception. As a result, these school clubs will have a multiplier effect of information to other children and to the community at large. 

In Eastern Uganda, 8 schools are targeted from the four districts of Namayingo, Iganga, Mayuge and Kamuli. Therefore, the field team conducted school visits to Balita Primary school Mayuge, Buwaya Primary school Mayuge, Bulopa primary school and Kinu Primary school in Kamuli. These visited were conducted on the 27^th and 28^th July, 11^th and 12^th August 2022.

There was delay in conducting the school visits because of the industrial strike for teachers and the examination period deterring us from visiting the schools.

Aim of the school visits

1. To follow up on the action points from the teacher training on inclusive education that was conducted May 2022
2. To share about childhood disability with school’s inclusive clubs.

The project officer shared with the pupil’s basic information about disability and rehabilitation as shown below;

Presentation about childhood disability

A disability is any restriction or lack of ability (resulting from an impairment) to perform an activity within the range considered normal for a human being and in society. The various types of disabilities include; Physical disability, sensory disability (Hearing, Visual), Mental/intellectual disability, Learning disability.

The Common disability conditions are; Spina Bifida, Hydrocephalus, Cleft lip and palate, Cerebral palsy, Post injection paralysis, Downs syndrome, Post burn contractures, Erb’s Palsy, Intellectual disability / mental retardation, microcephaly, Autism, Osteomyelitis, Club feet, Genu varum / bow legs, Genu valgum / knock knees, Arthrogryposis, Epilepsy, phocomelia, down syndrome. Pictures of these disability conditions were shared with participants to enhance the learning process.

Disability Risk Factors

These are categorized into 3 which include; before birth, during birth and after birth. Pupils were given an opportunity to brainstorm on the disability risk factors (causes) and randomly shared their perspectives. Then the project officer shared with them other causes as seen below

Before birth of the Child

• Poor nutrition of the mother
• Alcohol and drug use of the mother
• Poor health of the mother i.e. untreated infections like syphilis which exposes the child to getting hydrocephalus.
• Stress of the mother
• Failure to attend antenatal health care services to get some medication like folic acid the prevents spina bifida.

During birth of the child

• Complications during birth like malposition of the baby e.g. the baby is lying sideways in the uterus.

After birth

• Infections the mother might be having during pregnancy that spread to the new born baby.
• Infections the child may have very early in life that expose the child to getting jaundice.
• Exposure of the child to high levels of environmental toxins like lead
• Poor nutrition of the mother and the baby
• Failure to breast feed the child as recommended by the health workers at the hospital.
• Untreated diseases of the child and failure to vaccinate the child that exposes the child to diseases like polio.
• Poor drug administration especially intra muscular injections that damage the nerves leading to post injection paralysis (PIP)

Rehabilitation;

The project officer briefly shared with pupils about the means of rehabilitation with emphasis on medical and social rehabilitation.

Achievements

• 4 school inclusive clubs were visited in Mayuge and Kamuli district and a topic on disability was shared with the pupils
• The Patrons of the school inclusive clubs were very receptive and vowed to continue supporting the inclusive clubs.

Challenges

• The teacher's industrial strike that left most of these schools closed affected the school visits and the examination periods during the second term delayed our implementation of this activity
• The changing weather also affected our movement to the different schools most especially in Mayuge and Kamuli district as it was a rainy season.

Findings

1. Banda primary school had constructed access ramps to the classrooms.
2. Balita Primary school in Mayuge district had started improving the latrines making them accessible to children with disabilities.
3. Bulopa primary school had constructed an access ramp to one of the classroom blocks to improve accessibility to children with disabilities.

Conclusion

The schools require frequent visits to strengthen the project’s working relationship and follow up on the action points that were agreed upon during the training for teachers conducted in May 2022.

Compiled by

Namudope Barbara

Project Officer

• Report_about_schools_visits_2022.docx (DOCX)