The Invisible Ones
In
Uganda, many parents still believe that having a child with a
disability is a great misfortune. Children with
disabilities face rejection, neglect, and abuse. Most
disabled children are not able to access education as schools
are not equipped to provide them with adequate education and
interventions. Teachers are not trained on how to help
these young people. Life for children with disabilities is
difficult and precarious. These are some of the stories of
we have heard about first hand:
"...the mother is fragile and the father has elephantitis.
The parents are not able to supervise the children and they
family was living under a tree like animals. The youngest
boys were not taught how to walk."
"...a teacher overheard a child talking about her brother at
home. No one was aware that there was another child in the
home. One of the teachers paid the home a visit and found
the disabled brother bound to the bed and confined in the home."
"...a father was trying to push his disabled child into the
latrines so he would die. The commotion was overheard and
the child was saved. The Medical Missionaries of Mary in
Makondo took this child under their wings and provided medical
care and surgery to correct his disability. He now lives a
fruitful life."
The good news is that there are wonderful people doing something
to change attitudes and make life better for these children.
Into Your Hands partners with the Medical Missionaries of Mary
through out Hands of Mercy Program.
Volunteers
like Anna Camp, a special education teacher from Denver, have
given their time and talent to educate families and teachers
about the unique gifts that people with disabilities offer our
communities.
