Kyaninga Inclusive Model School

2022 has continued at the fantastic same pace of development for Kyaninga Education Hub and Kyaninga Inclusive Model School (KIMS). So it was fitting we complete this term with the Kyaninga Run the Rift marathon to raise money for the school. Competitors in the five races, ranging from  the 5km fun run, to the full 42km marathon, ran through stunning scenery, along  the Rift Valley escarpment, looking up to thesnow capped Rwenzori mountains and around the turquoise crater pale that is the seeting for KIMS school. We couldn’t have been more proud of the young students from KIMS, many of whom were medal winners. Including 8 year Reagan who set a course record for under 15 year olds. Many of us adult and men and women, dressed in our latest lycra wear and go faster running shoes couldn’t help but smile and feel a little humbled  as little Anna Marie, bare foot, dressed in her polka dot skirt pushed past us on the narrow trails! As the participants witnessed during a video  presentation about the school during the  prizegiving lunch our KIMS students, who have developed such great empathy and understanding for what it is like to grow up with a disability, provided further inspiration for how our world can be truly  more inclusive.

This month we welcomed another new child into our KIMS community. Little Genna aged 7, who has cerebral palsy, leaving her with limited mobility on her right side and severe cognitive and speech impairment, has settled beautifully into the nurturing environment at KIMS. Genna had been rejected from every school her parents visited, but having taken part in KCDC’s school readiness programme, Genna was able to venture to school for the very first time. The relief and excitement experienced by Genna’s parents when they realized that there was a future full of hope for their daughter was humbling to see.  It has been a joy to watch her rapid development. In just three weeks, she has learned some of our KIMS routines, sings our National Anthem with gusto at the beginning of the day, has begun to feed herself, and most importantly for the first time in her life has made a friend in Caitlyn, one of our Down Syndrome students.  The photo shows the two of them enjoying our Easter Egg Hunt!

Kyaninga Education Hub is continuing to ensure the hope of inclusive education reaches further than just one school by training local Ugandan teachers in inclusive education practices. On Wednesday 6^th April, the Hon Secretary for Education and Health attended the awards ceremony for 25 Head Teachers and Teachers who had completed our ‘Excellence and Inclusion’ 3 month professional Development programme. The Minister acknowledged the urgent need for ongoing professional training to improve classroom practice, given the disturbing evidence that  91% of children with disabilities are currently excluded from schools. The schools represented at the awards ceremony have achieved a standard of inclusive education that would not have been thought possible given the limited resources and challenges the Ugandan Education system faces.