By Fiona Beckerlegge | Clinical Director
Earlier this year, on 8th January, Miss Uganda North America visited Kyaninga Child Development Centre, in Fort Portal, Western Uganda to see the work that the centre is doing for children with disabilities, and generously donated four wheelchairs. These wheelchairs were made by a Ugandan organisation, trying to provide an affordable and sustainable option for mobility aids within the country as it is otherwise extremely difficult to obtain a wheelchair from overseas, which are also not well designed for the rough terrain in the rural villages.
The aim of this donation was to improve the wellbeing of children with mobility challenges and their families, living in extreme poverty in rural villages. KCDC mobilized the families and parents to receive these wheelchairs with their children during the Cares Tour of Miss Uganda North America.
Since January, several follow up visits have been conducted to the children’s homes to assess impact, progress and whether the home environment is favorable to allow wheelchair mobility and maneuverability.
Impact has been reported differently as parents had different reasons for acquiring wheelchairs.
George’s Story
George’s family reported “George is a God-loving boy, he demands to go to church every Sunday and the wheelchair was the only means we could meet his need because he is too heavy to carry” his Grandmother tells us.
Additionally, George is now attending primary school, and this was only possible once he had received a wheelchair, as his disability prevents him from walking and so he was not unable to attend. He loves learning and can now recognise numbers 1-10 and beginning to recognise alphabet letters. The other children in his class, both able-bodied and with disabilities, enjoy pushing him in his wheelchair and including him in their games outside on the field.
The wheelchair has really opened up opportunities for George and his family and they are excited for the possibilities the future holds from them all.
Annett's Story
Annett’s mother has five children, and four of them live with a disability that causes movement, communication and mobility difficulties, as well as intellectual difficulties. Without sophisticated medical testing and specialist doctors, it is difficult to know what condition they all suffer from, but all are very dependent on their mother for most activities of daily living.
Even with Dad’s help it is extremely difficult to manage all four children, especially attending social gatherings such as church and community functions. Annett being the elder (17 yrs.) and also the heaviest was always left at home due to mobility challenges, but this leaves her lonely and vulnerable. She is able to crawl around on the floor but cannot stand or walk, she communicates through noises and gestures, which the family can understand but others in the community find hard to interpret.
‘Annett cannot push herself around her home environment due to limited learning, but I find it easy to push her to community gatherings and she is always happy to see other children’ her mother reports. She goes on to say that ‘she enjoys having all her children together again when they are going out, and she can put the youngest child on Annett’s knee, so that she can care for her as well.
We hope to provide a second wheelchair to Annett’s sister, so that her parents will be able to push both girls rather than carry them, making life a little easier again.
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