UK charity to boost education for people with disabilities
Jun 17, 2008
People with disabilities have a reason to smile. Leonard Cheshire Disability, a UK-based charity, has commissioned a three-year inclusive project to enable people with disabilities access education.
By Abou Kisige and Godfrey Kimono
People with disabilities have a reason to smile. Leonard Cheshire Disability, a UK-based charity, has commissioned a three-year inclusive project to enable people with disabilities access education.
Bryan Dutton, the director-general, says the project will redesign 20 primary schools in Mukono and Pallisa districts to ensure that children with disabilities have easy access to classroom and toilet facilities.
This month, he says, they will sign a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Education to provide special training to teachers, children and the community about the need to educate people with disabilities. “The pilot project, worth sh231m, will commence later this year and will run for three years,†Dutton says.
He says he hopes the project will play a key role in helping children with disabilities live a full life in Uganda as a similar project, established in Kenya, has turned out successful.
“We started with four schools in Kenya and now 400 schools have embraced the project.
He revealed this while handing over surgical equipment worth sh84m to Katalemwa Cheshire home for the disabled recently.
According to the 2002 census statistics, out of the 24.7 million Ugandans, over one million children had disabilities.
Connie Tinka, the executive director of the Katalemwa home, commended Leonard Cheshire Foundation and Christofel Blinden for the support towards children with disabilities.
She urged the Government to continue redesigning buildings to make them user-friendly to people with disabilities.
People with disabilities have a reason to smile. Leonard Cheshire Disability, a UK-based charity, has commissioned a three-year inclusive project to enable people with disabilities access education.
Bryan Dutton, the director-general, says the project will redesign 20 primary schools in Mukono and Pallisa districts to ensure that children with disabilities have easy access to classroom and toilet facilities.
This month, he says, they will sign a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Education to provide special training to teachers, children and the community about the need to educate people with disabilities. “The pilot project, worth sh231m, will commence later this year and will run for three years,†Dutton says.
He says he hopes the project will play a key role in helping children with disabilities live a full life in Uganda as a similar project, established in Kenya, has turned out successful.
“We started with four schools in Kenya and now 400 schools have embraced the project.
He revealed this while handing over surgical equipment worth sh84m to Katalemwa Cheshire home for the disabled recently.
According to the 2002 census statistics, out of the 24.7 million Ugandans, over one million children had disabilities.
Connie Tinka, the executive director of the Katalemwa home, commended Leonard Cheshire Foundation and Christofel Blinden for the support towards children with disabilities.
She urged the Government to continue redesigning buildings to make them user-friendly to people with disabilities.