So during the mornings between the hours of 9am and 1pm I spent my time at Friends of People with Disabilities (FPWD). FPWD is a disabled school that takes in people of all ages and disabilities. They have 15 people with whom they educate and care for, and I got see first-hand how truly important it is to have such establishments within a community.
Before entering Uganda I had not planned at working at such a place, however the opportunity arose and it opened my mind to a life that I had never previously witnessed. There were times during the first day where I realised that I was a long way away from my ‘comfort zone’. During my first 2 hours one of the boys Eric, who has trouble swallowing his saliva, took to me. With every hug he gave me, more and more saliva was dispersed all over my shirt. I found it quite difficult to begin with, but after realising how much you are helping children like Eric I made the determination to put 100% into it and learn as much as I could from experience.
FPWD is located in a small class room attached to a regular school. It was always a tight squeeze with all the workers and children, but Geraldine (the director) always managed to make it work. The children would spend the first part of the morning either reading or writing/drawing before having a snack of porridge and tea around 10:30am (neither accustom to the style I was brought up with in England). After the break, the children would gather together and do a group activity such as traditional Ugandan dances or co-ordination activities, before doing more practical activities that they could take home with them to help the family; such as making brooms or learning how to cook very simple dishes that would be replicable in a home environment. Disabled people in Uganda get no support from the Government, therefore in many cases they must try and make a living to survive. This was yet another harsh reality that took me a little time to come to terms with.
Despite the resounding warmth of the Ugandan people, there is a stigmatism towards people with disabilities. Some locals believe that a disability is a curse on the family, and therefore disown the family due to this reason or go ahead and disown the child, often leaving the child with nobody whatsoever. But thanks to people such as Geraldine, Diana (manager) and the others who work at FPWD people’s view are beginning to change. Geraldine often goes into churches in the area to educate people on the children’s situations, and from what I experienced FPWD is truly appreciated by a large number of local leaders.
One of my biggest concerns for any program is sustainability and how FPWD would be able to fund itself in the future. But as always, the wonderful Geraldine was steps ahead of me. Geraldine saved funds to purchase a maize mill, and her plan to sell this maize to local businesses, to make a profit and purchase learning equipment and food for the disabled children, is in my mind a fantastic idea. Not only will profits go towards helping the children, but the capable disabled children and some of their families will be able to work in the mill and earn money from it.
To my surprise, 2 of the 4 employees at FPWD are highly educated in their respective fields. Diana has a degree in law. She felt that with government the way it is in Uganda, that she could create more value for the children at FPWD, Geraldine is a qualified nurse and her knowledge and expertise is highly appreciated by all involved. She ensures that each child is looked after at FPWD as well as at home, and creates diverse schedules for each day of activities.
FPWD was an unforgettable experience!
