Makerere students visit the Centre - Teresa

This is Teresa ( fellow practicum student at CDR-UGANDA  with Michell). June has been a very busy month at the centre. The Centre hosted Makerere University students on June 6^th as part of its information sharing/skill building day. It was a good opportunity for Health Science and Engineering students to get some important insight into such conditions as Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy and Paralysis.  Josephine who has cerebral palsy and who also has epilepsy was brought to the centre. Michell, who had done a case study on her explained to the student about how she was abandoned by her parents and is in lack of good nutrition, lives in a home that lacks good hygiene and she is weak from both her physical challenges but also her medication weakens her and she only seems to have tea to drink plus lately some cereal that the centre has passed on to the grandmother for her. Edrine was explaining to the students what C­P is and also the realities of home life for many children with disabilities due to poor attitudes by the parents and community regarding children with disabilities. These children are even at a deeper disadvantage in homes that are living in poverty and have many children to feed, clothe and pay school fees for. Many are left alone, locked in the home while the parents go to work and other children go to school. There is no socialization for these children, no mental stimulation and with no light, no fresh air and no food, these children have a bleak existence – a very lonely one. It is critical that these students who are interested in being in nursing, community rehabilitation workers, social workers and engineers who have an interest in helping with functional and cosmetically appealing appliances(equipment ) to help these child comprehend the magnitude of the stigma around children with disabilities and their exclusion because of that in family activities, going to school and have the basic needs met. There have been some positive cases of children going to school and having parents who engage in physical therapy, administering medication for epilepsy and mental health issues and interest in their children socializing with other children and coming to the centre.  We also had one of our young  female adults who was helped by the centre in terms of medication and counselling regarding epilepsy.  She gave an emotional testimony of her mental health issues as well and how it affected every aspect of her life, including being a young mother. It was a powerful story that had to be told because she was alone and scared and had both parents pass away and she had nowhere to turn. With the support of the staff at CDR-UGANDA, she was able to stabilize in terms of controlling her seizures as well as her other mental health challenges.  Edrine and Sarah also showed on one of the youth how to make a molded cast fitting for a foot and leg splint which was both entertaining and informative for the students as well as myself.