Eugenie Mukamfura from Ntarama sector in Bugesera District has been living with her disabled son for six years now. Her child sadly can neither walk nor talk.

This, she says, has affected her in so many ways as a mother, including enduring loneliness as they have always felt isolated because of her son’s condition.

"Seeing my child in this condition has been heart wrenching but what hurts me most is the fact that I did not know what to do to help him, I had no knowledge on how best I could raise him as a child with special needs,” she says.

She has tried seeking medical treatment for her child but all her efforts so far have been futile.

Epiphanie Dukunde shares a similar story. She also has a 13-year-old child who is physically impaired and they have been facing stigma, something she says has only made their situation worse.

"We have suffered from segregation and all other kinds of bad treatment from the community. This treatment is hard to ignore, this alone has denied us freedom to socialise with other people, and this affects our children,” she says.

Some children receive wheelchairs. /Michel Nkurunziza

However, this is all yet to be in the past, thanks to CECHE Foundation, a local non-government organisation that supports women and their children living with disabilities.  

CECHE stands for Children in Education, Cultural and Health Environment; it specialises in community inclusive development and operates in Bugesera District.

Through the organisation, mothers have managed to access economic support from Rwanda Governance Board and The United Nations Development Programme.

Joseph Munyandamutsa, the founder of CECHE, says they initiated this project to support people with disabilities by addressing the challenges they face.

 The organisation trains mothers on how best they can help their children. They are skilled on how they can train their children to do physical exercises; they are also encouraged to show affection to their children because it helps them not to be overwhelmed by solitude.

As an organisation, he says, they have different programmes on health and education, among others.

"When such children are identified from the community, we approach each case differently considering the degree of the disability and also the status of the family, therefore, the measurements we take vary,” he says.

Munyandamutsa says that parents are faced with so many challenges, not knowing where to seek help for their physically impaired children, and at times, even the stigma discourages them.

To identify the kids, they organise meetings in different areas at the community level; some parents already have associations, therefore, reaching them becomes easier, he says.

"When these parents are oriented and trained well, they can easily take good care of their children. We only come in when they are facing difficulties or challenges,” he says.

Life transformation

Through the organisation, some of the children have managed to go back to school. Parents are now aware of how best to raise their children; they have understood the impact of stigma against such children, Munyandamutsa says, adding that they will continue with the work such that more is done, especially in terms of availing inclusive education.

Women sustain to have found peace and solace. Mukamfura says they have shared and learnt from each other, something she says has helped them cope with tough emotions and stress.

Dukunde also says that they can now afford basic needs, something which was hard before. "Our children feel better when they meet with others, this is the joy of every mother,” she adds.

Women, on the other hand, have borrowed a leaf from the inspiring works of the organisation. They have arranged a cooperative known as ‘Duserukire abana’ (let’s stand up for children).

Through this cooperative, they do tailoring and weaving, which according to them, has helped change their lives economically.

Dukunde applauds this initiative for turning them into confident women.

"I know that our children, though different, deserve love and care, especially from their parents. I believe that children with disabilities can still possess unique talents just like other children,” she says.

Need for more advocacy

There are around 59 centres, including special schools for children with disabilities.

At least 120 projects worth over Rwf3 billion are currently being implemented by Rwanda Civil Societies Organisations (CSOs) on behalf of the Government to alleviate poverty among vulnerable communities.

The women are thankful for the support they are getting. However, they wish for more to be done. They want their children to get easy access to healthcare and education, this, they say, is still a challenge because these children find it hard to easily access these services like others.

Munyandamutsa says that there is still need for continued advocacy since there are so many children with disabilities in rural areas who cannot access or afford inclusive education, as most schools do not have basic infrastructure to help them.

Emmanuel Ndayisaba, the executive secretary of the National Council of People with Disabilities in Rwanda, says there is need to take care of children with disabilities, otherwise they will have to endure countless challenges.

There should be establishment of more schools that can accommodate kids with special needs. However, for those who can manage to attend normal schools, let them also have a chance to join, he says.

 Mary Kobusingye, a special education needs officer at the Ministry of Education, says there are still challenges in terms of limited infrastructure and facilities with many schools, and that this makes it hard to take care of such children.

She also says that the wrong mind-set that at times parents and the community have, thinking that these children cannot learn, is a problem.

Teachers, on the other hand, could be facing skills’ gap, therefore, this makes it a challenge to ensure education for all of them, Kobusingye adds.

"We spend over Rwf200 million every year providing facilities to disabled children, especially the visually impaired. But due to a limited budget and different disabilities, there are many who lack access to inclusive education,” she says.

Kobusingye says they are in the process of establishing units for disabled children at each school, with dedicated teachers, who also facilitate interaction with non-disabled children in different areas such as recreation.

"There is a centre with a multidisciplinary team at University of Rwanda which can also help assess these children’s issues and suggest health treatment where possible, as well as education methodology,” she says.

Kobusingye adds that training teachers on special needs education has been going on, and that there is need to ensure better planning, for example, in terms of having proper statistics of children living with disabilities.

THEIR VIEWS

Marie Louise Tuyisenge, Kinyinya Resident

Faustin Mutabazi, Mentor

Solange Uwimana, Vendor

Josephine Mbabazi, Student

editor@newtimesrwanda.com