Visiting Sense International Uganda’s Early Childhood Development project, funded by Comic Relief 

29 July 2025

In 2020, Sense International Uganda received funding from Comic Relief to establish an Early Childhood Development project, focused on supporting young children with complex disabilities to transition into mainstream education. The project prepares local schools to provide inclusive education by installing accessible facilities and providing training to teachers. Throughout the transition, children and their families are supported at home by occupational therapists to build essential skills. Since 2024 the project has entered a second phase, with a focus on strengthening the existing provisions and advocating for government adoption of the project’s recommendations to ensure this vital work is continued. 

In June 2025, Stella and Philip from Sense International’s UK team undertook a monitoring visit to the project alongside Sense International Uganda and local government officials, visiting schools and families supported by the project to see the impact the work is having. 

In-School Support 

The team first visited a school in the Mayuge district, currently attended by three children with complex disabilities supported by the Early Childhood Development project. Funding from the project had enabled the school to hire a Learning Support Assistant, Dinah who has been supporting Fiona and Rachel within classes since 2022. Dinah shared that throughout the years she had become close with the girls and their families, “like they’re friends”, and that she also works with parents to help them learn communication techniques to support their children at home.  

The team heard that Rachel had once been extremely anxious and frightened of strangers; her caregivers were sceptical about sending her to school. With SI Uganda’s encouragement, they warmed to the idea; now, Rachel attends school happily – when meeting Stella and Philip, she was smiley and confident, dancing in her seat. Fiona’s family were encouraged by Rachel’s success to follow suit and send her to school too; once unable to speak, she now happily chatted, clearly enjoying interacting with the team and her classmates. The families have become increasingly engaged with Sense International Uganda and now regularly attend training to support their children at home, becoming advocates for their education.  

The impact of the in-school support is evident, but there are still challenges – Dinah is the sole support for Rachel and Fiona, but their different needs mean she is dividing her time, and she feels it would be beneficial to increase the support available. The project team is now advocating for the government to hire more Learning Support Assistants like Dinah, expanding the potential for children with disabilities to attend school. 

Home Based Support 

The team also visited the homes of two children currently supported by the Early Childhood Development project as they prepare to attend school.  

Hafiza, aged 7, is unable walk without aid and exhibits communication difficulties. Through the project he has received a walking frame and is regularly visited by a physical therapist who also trains his mother Shaluwa to carry out exercises. A single parent, Shaluwa worries about her ability to physically support Hafizu as he grows, but hopes that through this intervention he will become able to support himself. She shared “I hope that he goes to school and that there is a teacher there to support him. I have hope in him”. 

Razak, aged 6, exhibits low vision and hearing. Whilst he initially struggled to walk, Razak’s mobility has improved significantly with the support of at home physical therapy; during the visit he played football with his brothers and occupational therapist Lydia. With the project’s support, Razak is now ready to attend school next year, but there is currently no Learning Support Assistant in place; again highlighting the need for reasonable accommodation through government funding. Although he faces challenges, the change in Razak is visible. His father shared: 

“Initially we had lost hope, but with the support of the teacher we gained courage… first he learned to walk, and now he can run.” 

Looking to the future 

The project’s astounding impact on children and families wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Comic Relief and the leadership of Sense International Uganda, as well as the schools and teachers they support. In recognition of their work, Comic Relief has recently granted additional support with funding to build on work being done in Iganga district, as well as an organisational strengthening grant intended to build the capacity of Sense International Uganda and enable them to continue and extend their vital work.  

There is more to be done – the visit highlighted the need for the urgent uptake of specialist teaching assistants to make inclusive education a possibility for many more children. Advocating for this will be a key output of the project, leading to sustainable outcomes of inclusion and provision for children with complex disabilities in Uganda. 

Stella said: “The visit illustrated the incredible journey Sense International Uganda is taking the children on. It’s great to see how much has already been done, as well as the tangible impact being had, and I look forward to seeing the future of the project.” 

Philip said: “I learned so much from the perspectives shared by families, teachers, learning support assistants and others we met. Each has a unique role in supporting the individual needs of children in their early childhood development and beyond. It is clear how important learning support assistants are in enabling individualised support and the excellent work they are doing in supporting children with complex disabilities to achieve their milestones.”

Our thanks go to Comic Relief for their vital support on this project. If you would like to support our work to support children with deafblindness globally, visit our Statutory & Institutional Funding page, donation page or get in touch.