Ugandan kids trek 3km daily to school

Tariq Al Gurg and other officials with children with disabilities in Amolatar district. Dubai Cares' inclusive education programme has come to the rescue of the kids.

Fifteen-year-old Kirrya Kevin was born with deformed limbs. Coming from one of the most rural regions in Uganda, her access to medical treatment has been virtually non-existent since birth. That has left her unable to walk without aid.
Determined not to let her disability get in the way of an education, Kirrya has been travelling 3km to school by foot for the past three years using a makeshift walking stick crafted from wood by her father. But the long distance means she has only been able to attend school for one day each week.
"I am able to get around, but I can't attend school regularly as it is too difficult to travel. It takes me hours just to travel one way," she told Khaleej Times from the Alemere Comprehensive School in Amolatar, Uganda.
When the pain of walking becomes too much, her father, Alele Bosco, uses a bicycle to push her to school. But doing so halts his potential to earn money through work.
"Having a child with a disability is a financial burden. But I want her to go to school; I want her to get an education. And she loves to learn. If I bring her myself, she can attend class more, but I have to stop working for one or two days. On those days I don't get money," he said.
Kirrya's long-term dream is to become a dressmaker in her village because she said good
clothes make people "feel better".
But first she will have to transition into a technical college in town.
Currently, only six per cent of the children with disabilities (CwD) population in Uganda achieve this transition, but without the qualifications, she cannot fulfill her
wishes for the future.
"If I get a full-time education I can make it to college. Right now I am unable to get that because of the travel issues due to my legs. It is too far for me to walk. Each step is
a challenge. If I could board at the school full-time, that will better my chances in the future. So I hope this will soon become the reality with Dubai Cares," she said.
And for Alele, all he wants is to see his daughter achieve what others in her village are "robbed
of"; a better education for a better life choice. In the Amolatar district in Uganda, more than 8,000 children are living with a disability. The rural region is reported to have the highest rate of child disability within the country and as such, it is creating a huge barrier for children when it comes to accessing education.

But Dubai Cares is working to change that. To tackle the issue, it has launched a programme that will directly benefit 500 children across 10 primary schools in the district.
In partnership with Leonard Cheshire Disability (LCD), it has invested Dh2.82million into its 'Inclusive Education in Northern Uganda' programme.
- kelly@khaleejtimes.com
Dh2.82M project to educate the disabled
Currently, only nine per cent of kids with disabilities in Uganda are going to primary school in comparison to the 92 per cent national average for children without disabilities. The barriers contributing to this low enrollment rate include attitudinal, policy, inadequate resources, unfavorable school environment, and pedagogical gaps in schools.
High costs are to blame too. And James Isiko, chairperson for Cheshire Services Uganda, estimates that it costs "nearly double" the price to educate a child with disabilities compared to a child without.
Hence the importance of Dubai Cares' 26-month long Inclusive Education in Northern Uganda' programme.
The 26-month project, earmarked at Dh2.82million, will indirectly benefit 21,400 members of the community and will ensure that 500 children with diasbilities (CwD) are enrolled in mainstream primary schools. They will also receive the necessary referrals for medical/
rehabilitative treatment too. At present, Dubai Cares is the only global donor helping to support the CwD within the country.
Speaking to Khaleej Times from the Alemere Comprehensive School in Amolatar, Christopher Mann, head of trusts and philanthropy at LCD, said many families say having a child with disabilities is isolating them from earning money. But the funding from Dubai Cares will help break the cycle of poverty within the district.
"Disability creates poverty and education can solve that. Through awareness work and structural additions to the schools, Dubai Cares is helping to openly promote the need for inclusive learning."
As well as helping assess, treat, and rehabilitate children with disabilities, the project will also help fund construction work to create better learning environments.
Of the 463 children screened so far through the programme, 23 have been approved for corrective surgery, 76 have been referred for hearing and visual treatment, and 30 will undergo regular physiotherapy. When it comes to the most prevalent types of disability witnessed in the district, hearing impairment, visual impairment, and mental impairment top the list.
For the visually impaired, the introduction of larger school windows will make for better lighting in class; larger blackboards will also be introduced for easy reading, and accessibility
ramps will be added throughout the schools to promote ease of movement.
But with many of the students currently enrolled having to travel for hours each day to reach school, Tariq Al Gurg, chief operating officer at Dubai Cares, told Khaleej Times that the potential construction of on site dormitories could be an option too. "Parents have spoken about the need for dormitories. If they are a solution, we will look into this as that could have a huge impact on these children."
- kelly@khaleejtimes.com

Kelly Clarke

kelly@khaleejtimes.com