Hope in Every Step: Action in Africa Brings Education and Therapy to Children with Special Needs
Action in Africa offers scholarships to special needs kids and other services to help access education and alleviate their condition
Primary education is the foundational education in Uganda, it is where young children learn how to read and write. It is not always accessible for special needs children because at that age they can barely take care of themselves and have not yet fully grasped how to handle their conditions. Besides financing, there aren't a lot of inclusive schools. Action in Africa offers scholarships to special needs kids and other services to help access education and alleviate their condition.
For years, Shakir Ssebaggala has been one of the Secondary receiving physiotherapy sessions at the Action in Africa Center. Shakir was born with a condition called Cerebral Palsy, a condition that made it difficult for him to stand, write, and walk.
Every Tuesday and Friday, our Special Needs Scholarship students come to The Center to meet with Dr Emmanuel Yiga (Dr Emma) for a physiotherapy session. The session starts with hand exercises, which are intended to build resistance, tolerance and strength. During the session, they chat with each other about school and home. As Shakir exercised with his grip strength trainer tool, he told us about his favourite movie character: Caesar from the movie Planet of the Apes. Dr Emma explained to me that since the children suffer from damage to their brains, these exercises will build other parts of their brains to compensate for the damaged parts.
When Shaki started physiotherapy, he could only crawl, and couldn't write. A basic physiotherapy session costs 50,000 UGX per hour, which is $13 USD, or the cost of four meals for a small family in Uganda. So the children’s families could not afford any treatment. Now, besides the school fees payments made by Action in Africa, these children receive mobility equipment like crutches, grippers, and four hours of physiotherapy every week facilitated by a professional.
Shakir’s mother says she could never imagine that her son would ever be able to go to school, write his school work and exams, and finish a school term. But now, he has managed to do all that at Bright Way Primary School in Nakuwadde, courtesy of the generosity of Action in Africa donors.
After the hand exercises, the kids are taken through walking exercises. These are particularly a bit challenging for Shakir because of the severity of his condition, but over the years, Shaki can walk now around The Center without assistance, with Dr Emma right beside him in case of any stumbles. He has to do 10 walking rounds, he is required to keep count, and he has great mathematics abilities.
The two of them have the most casual conversations. Shaki calls Dr Emma, Uncle Emma and he calls Shakir Kojja, which is the Luganda word for Uncle. They are like brothers, teasing each other and talking about movies, school and Shakir’s aspirations.
Despite the difficulty their conditions have caused them, Shakir and his peers spend every minute with a smile on their faces. Every task they are given, they complete not with ease but with grit and hope. In Dr Emma, they have found a supportive big brother and in the Action in Africa community, a supportive and accepting home.
Shakir watching his video with his mother and physiotherapist
