Ability

Rwentobo and Rushooka area, Uganda - September, 2024

South part of Uganda below Kampala and Jinja reveals high rates of poverty and vulnerability. Christian-Catholic confessional missions and Ngo’s organizations work in the entire rural area. Many of them operate in particular in the area of Rwentobo, especially dealing with children needs working with orphans and disabled kids. Children with disabilities in Uganda face challenges in education, health, and social inclusion, representing one of basis of social stigma and exclusion mechanisms. As a matter of fact 47% of people with disabilities are more likely to experience violence compared to people without disabilities.

The likelihood of disability increases with age, boys are slightly more likely to be affected than girls. Physical disabilities are the most common, including visual impairments, hearing impairments, motor disability and multiple disabilities, while mental disabilities are even more impactful especially considering social exclusion. Only about 9% of children with disabilities of school age attend primary school, and only 6% continue with secondary education. Only 10%-20% of children with disabilities benefit from rehabilitation services, and one third of children with disabilities are unable to use health services. Humanitarian organizations have been building free schools, treatment and therapy centers, orphanages, educational center for children and young people with moderate and severe physical and cognitive disabilities and a kindergarten dedicated to disadvantaged families. The process of social inclusion of these associations that radically changed the local social fabric has clearly followed a complex process from skepticism to coexistence, the most serious and professional international organizations have relied heavily on the work of local professionals rather than on expatriates work, thus favoring relationships between different cultures and trying to avoid colonialist legacies.