By Chris Gibbon | Director Kyaninga Education Hub
The need for holistic, wrap-around care for children with disabilities and their families could not be
more perfectly exemplified than by the story of Eunice.
Eunice is a 12-year-old girl who came to the attention of the Kyaninga Child Development Centre
(KCDC) therapy team, when she was about to be excluded from yet another school due to her
violence towards other children. The school had judged Eunice to be ‘mentally disturbed’, a simple
diagnosis which her mother agreed with. It had been decided by the family that the cause of
Eunice’s mental disturbance was a childhood accident where Eunice’s older sister had pushed her
over causing her to bang her head. Her sister, now 13, had grown up in the tragic belief that she was
entirely responsible for her little sister’s aggression, lack of mental capacity and sadness. Running
alongside this is the financial hardship, ostracization and inevitable sense of shame that tragically
goes with having a disabled child in Uganda. It is not difficult to imagine the enormous guilt she must
have carried and the inevitable blame felt by her parents.
It took just one minute for KCDC’s team of therapists and teacher’s to diagnose Eunice with Down
syndrome—a genetic condition caused by a random error in cell division that results in an extra copy
of chromosome 21. There’s no one to blame; it’s simply a matter of biology. Yet, Eunice’s family has
struggled tragically under the misconception that they were directly responsible for her challenges.
Since KCDC became involved with Eunice’s family, their lives have completely transformed. Eunice
now attends Kyaninga Inclusive Model school (KIMS) where she is thriving in our Special Support
Centre. She is receiving occupational therapy to support her to become more independent and
counselling to help her speak about her frustrations. Eunice is a different child to the aggressive, sullen, sad and lonely child who joined us at KIMS just 6 months ago. Eunice’s mother attended our Down Syndrome Awareness Day at the KCDC therapy and rehabilitation centre, where she saw other
children with Down syndrome for the very first time. Meeting other mothers helped her realize she
wasn’t alone on her journey, providing a sense of community and understanding.
The construction of a purpose-built Centre of Excellence will create the type of supportive
community where, on one site, families such as Eunice’s can access the holistic services necessary
for their children to thrive.
It will:
act as the new headquarters for the organisation, providing purpose-built accessible facilities
allow the Kyaninga Inclusive Model School (KIMS) to continue to model best practice whilst providing education to a greater number of children
provide a forum for parents of children with disabilities to meet, share stories and provide the support and companionship they so desperately need
offer multiple therapy/treatment rooms to reduce waiting times and treat more children daily.
provide simple self-catered accommodation for long-distance families requiring specialised intensive therapy and longer-term rehabilitation services.
have the capacity to host training workshops for teachers, healthcare and community workers, local leaders and other stakeholders.
Building our new Centre of Excellence would remain an impossible dream without your ongoing support. Every contribution, no matter how small, brings us closer to our goal. Together, we can profoundly impact the lives of children and their families.
Thank you for your steadfast support and belief in our mission. Without your help, families
like Eunice’s may never discover the immense potential she holds or have the opportunity to
embrace the bright future that awaits her.
By Fiona Beckerlegge | Executive Director
By Fiona Beckerlegge | Executive Director
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