Parents abandon disabled children -NGOs

By Henry Sekanjako

Parents are increasingly abandoning children born with disabilities citing a lack of funds to maintain such children.  

This is according to Katalemwe Cheshire home a non-government organization involved in rehabilitation of children with disabilities and ensuring fulfillment of their rights.

The chairman board of trustees Katalemwe Cheshire home Eng.  Aloziyious Bakidde Kaganda said many parents across the country had resorted to dropping children born with disabilities upon birth thinking that such children are useless.

“Parents are increasing dropping disabled children and some have even ran away from their marriages because of this, the issue of disability depends one’s heart , we should have a good heart for the disabled children as parents,” said Bakidde.

Bakidde urged all parents, to ensure equal treatment of children born with disabilities like they do to those that are born without defects.

He made the remarks on Saturday while addressing members of the board Katalemwa Cheshire home during their first ever annual general meeting at Metro pole Hotel Kampala.

The advocacy and networking manager Katalemwe Cheshire home, Patriciah Akullo said the habit of abandoning disabled children was common among local families who find disabled children as a sign of curse.

“We have got many reports of parents especially men who   run away from their homes because they have fathered children with disabilities, they think it’s a curse,” said Akullo.

Akullo also attributed the increasing cases of children with disability neglection, to financial challenges where families with financial constraints find it hard to raise children with disabilities.

The executive director Katalemwe Cheshire home James Kibanga, said they were working with government to ensure that children with disabilities are given special attention while in school so that they are not left behind.

“We want to sensitize teachers in schools on children with disabilities inclusion education while in class, some teachers tend to ignore such children saying they are slow learners which affects their academic performance,” said Kibanga.

According to Katalemwe Cheshire home there are over 53,000 children with disabilities in the country.