Soft Power Education - Uganda
Services enabling children with disabilities have an improved quality of life
Soft Power Education (SPE) is a British registered charity and Ugandan NGO. Since 1999 we have been working with communities in Uganda with a mission of improving quality of life through education
Years: 2018, 2019
Soft Power Education is a small British charity and Ugandan NGO working with a vision of an empowered and self-sustaining society taking responsibility for its own development with the mission to improve quality of life through education. The Special Education Needs (SEN) Programme offers free physiotherapy and occupational therapy to more than 140 children across the Jinja district. Children with disabilities are often shunned from society and working with communities and families helps to break down some of the traditional misconceptions surrounding disability.
Whilst the Government of Uganda (GoU) encourages inclusive education there is no policy requiring it. Children with Disabilities (CWDs) face many barriers accessing education aside from the inadequate infrastructure and physical access, including discrimination, negative attitudes, misconceptions and stigma - violence among children with disabilities in not uncommon, even from parents. Many view CWDs as ‘uneducable’ and as having no economic value so families don’t invest in their education.
The SEN Programme consists of a team of a Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist and Specialist Teacher, and two live-in matrons. The aim is to ensure that the services enable children with disabilities and their families to have an improved quality of life through outreach education, therapy and community sensitisation for free.
Project Objectives:
-Safe, secure housing for 24 special needs children at a local government school with special educational facilities
-Education Services: providing a safe/well-resourced learning environment for 6 children with disabilities at Kyabirwa Children’s Centre.
-A multi-sensory curriculum in a traditional classroom style setting.
-Support two mainstream government schools who are already providing education to children with special needs.
-Training and sensitisation sessions for parents and other practitioners such as teachers on understanding specific disabilities, traditional beliefs, stigmas and managing specific conditions.
-Outreach Community Therapy running multiple outreach clinics at four locations every week offering free physiotherapy and occupational therapy services for the children with disabilities
