In Uganda: Inclusive Education with Comic Relief
Sense International Uganda’s early childhood development programme is helping to strengthen communities and schools to include children with deafblindness in mainstream education with funding from Comic Relief.
The programme supports children with multisensory disabilities to transition into mainstream education. To aid the transition, children and their families are supported at home by occupational therapists to build essential skills such as communication and mobility. Local schools are prepared to provide a setting for inclusive education by installing accessible facilities and providing training to teachers. Project funding has allowed schools to hire Learning Support Assistants (LSAs) to provide additional support to children with deafblindness in the classroom, helping them to stay on track with their peers and engage in activities.
Five years in, the project is now focused on strengthening these provisions and advocating for government adoption of the project’s recommendations to ensure this vital work is continued. Seeing the enormous impact of the LSAs, the project team is now advocating for the government to hire more assistants as part of the education budget, expanding the potential for children with disabilities to attend mainstream schools.
The project’s astounding impact on children and families is a testament to the leadership of Sense International Uganda, made possible by the support of Comic Relief. It is essential that this work is embedded and expanded 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.
Keren’s Story
The programme has opened up a world of possibility for children like Keren, who was born prematurely and developed hydrocephaly – a condition which led to diminished vision, hearing and mobility. In her early years, her parents struggled with a lack of support, and the belief that she might never be able to go to school.
At age three, Keren’s family was connected with Sense International’s early-childhood development programme. They have received support from Occupational Therapist Lydia, who has assisted with medication and physiotherapy and taught Keren sign language. Now, she has been able to achieve something once unimaginable; attending a local school, where she loves to socialise with her classmates. Keren’s parents are overjoyed to see that she will have opportunities to learn and thrive in the future.
“We are so grateful to Sense; we had no hope that our daughter could even stand, let alone be able to go to school. But now, we have been encouraged.
Thank you for loving us”
Keren’s Mother
Watch Karen’s story here:
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