A PROJECT UPDATE

Monthly assessment clinics with a physiotherapist
Since before our main work began we have been working with Afaayo children’s rehabilitation centre in Kalagi now on the first week of the month they have been assisting us in assessing the new children we receive. On average we receive between 10-30 new children a month. From here we will see what type of assistance they need such as corrective surgery or physiotherapy. Our aim is to work with children within the Mukono and Kayunga districts, due to the power of word of mouth as we have never mobilized for this clinic we are surprised with the amount of children we receive on a regular basis and the distance they travel. We now have 10 children on our books from Mayuge district.


Rural outreach clinics
In April last year we started a rural clinic in Wabwoko which is north of Kayunga town. Since April last year we have seen an average of 70 children a month, the largest need we have in Wabwoko is epilepsy. We have currently found over 80 children with epilepsy in this area. We have never worked with adults before we are made the decision to work with adults in the area of epilepsy. This is due to amount of cases we found. As well as working with people with epilepsy we are providing occupational and physiotherapy exercises, as well teaching parents and children sign language.

Home visits
This were we go and visit the children and their families at there homes, on average Mawazi and Moses our community field workers visit 90 children a month. Supporting them through physiotherapy exercise and counselling their parents. Our current focus area is Kayunga and Mukono district.


Support in corrective surgery
In the area of corrective surgery we work alongside Afaayo which is where we send our children. Afaayo then support us and send our children on to Katalamwa or the appropriate hospital for surgery. On average we send 30 children to Afaayo a month.

Nutrition program
Currently we are supporting 25 children over two weeks to have additional support with their feeding; we have seen that in the past that by the children having bad feeding even more problems can be created alongside their disability. Now we are supporting with giving children, posho flour, sugar, Soya and sometimes milk a difference is being made to the child.


Daily living skills lessons/ 1:1 education classes
From Tuesday to Friday Emma our child educator goes around visiting the children who have a either a physical disability, learning disability or who are deaf preparing them for school or helping them to learn how to just wash their own clothes. On average Emma sees 7 children a week and we currently have around 20 children on this program so not we try to see the child at least twice a month. This has been an very exciting program Margaret before she started this program was unable to take herself to the toilet now is in school and can take herself to the toilet as well as count to 10 and she is able a lot more confident.


School sponsorship
We are trying to support as many of our children who can go to school to find sponsors, already we have 8 children sponsors for the children. We have 7 who are deaf in school and 2 boys in wheel chairs and we are currently looking for more sponsors. It is exciting to see who far our children have come who are attending school. Especially since these are the children who even their parents believed they could never have a change of an education or be able to learn to count. We currently have a waiting list of 30 children who desire to go to school.

Facilitation of sign language training / Supporting local schools to include disabled children
Every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday we work in different schools in the area of sign language training for teachers in Kangulumira Sub County. We are currently supporting three primary schools to learn to support children with disabilities. Within one school New steps Natrubi we have 14 children who are deaf, within another school Kisega primary school we have 22 children disabilities. Charles our schools worker is also supporting the children with disabilities with extra classes. We are hoping to see that more and more schools within Kangulumira Sub County and eventually Kayunga and Mukono district will integrate children with disabilities into their schools. Within the Friday afternoon session we have teachers coming from around 5 other schools to learn sign language. In the school holidays we also hold sign language workshops for our parents with deaf children. In Our last workshop we had 15 parents attend.

Free epilepsy medication and Medication for the child.
Since 2005 we have seen that many of our children have epilepsy, these children have found it difficult to gain additional support for this. Over the past years we have found children that have been to one of the local hospitals and have been put on a drip for some time and then we they have stop having seizures they are sent home and they start having seizures again. This made us aware that we need to provide a service of free epilepsy medication. The price of the medication has also been an hindrance for the families, as for a parent with no regular income to provide 6 tablets a day at 300 a tablet is a challenge. We know have 200 children receiving free epilepsy medication. On a monthly basis we visit the children who have epilepsy to regulate the improvement of there seizures. We are now seeing that our children have stopped having seizures the way they did.

Income generating craft group
In the last 2 years we have seen many talents with our woman of art and making of crafts, this lead us to create a group of 10 parents in where they can concentrate more on making craft items. In the beginning this was just paper necklaces. In 2007 the parents started to learn how to make bamboo items. Over the last two years parents have been able to earn over 1million Ugandan shillings by making craft items. This used to be through an international outlet; now in 2008 they are making produce for a craft shop in Jinja town. Through making necklaces one mother has built a house.

Income generating projects for families
In February 2009, we started a new income generating where we are giving out 30 to 10 families and after six months we will be then passing another 30 chickens to another 10 families. The idea is that each family gives the three chickens back so that another 10 families can benefit. We are planning in May 2009 to give income generating grants to 5 families.

Obtaining specialist equipment
In Kangulumira town, we now have a carpenter who makes special chairs, walking frames and standing frames, which we provide, to the children who are in need of support and if a child needs a wheel chair, we support the family with one. On average we provide between 6-7 items of equipment a month through our carpenter.
Achievements Of Spring Of Hope to date
August 2004 Research into how the communities could be supported to improve the life opportunities of disabled children this included home visits. We started networking with other organizations.
October 2004 Commenced assessment clinics in partnership with Besanyia Mukono
October 2004 Children start having corrective surgery on cleft pallets, club feet, missing digits
November 2004 Partnership with local community leaders, and sensitisation of community
April 2005 Started partnership work with Katalemwa Leonard Cheshire home which provides special equipment for the children
January 2006 One to one child education program starts
April 2006 Play therapy clinic begins based New Zealand on move clinic program
April 2006 Nutrition programme commenced
March- June 06 Initial basic training on challenging behaviour
June 06 Spring of Hope staff are trained as Special Olympic coaches and Leader of Spring Of Hope becomes Special Olympics coordinator for Kayunga district
August 2006 Free medication provided especially for epilepsy
September 2006 Kayunga special Olympics football team in coordination with SOH wins the football national competition
October 2006 Started holding sign language workshops for parents and teachers
November 2006 School sponsorship programme started.
Nov 2006 Ugandan occupational therapist recruited
December 06 Celebration of disabilities day, with march through Kangulumira town and activities on sub county premises
January 2007 Started inclusive education with New Steps Nakirubi school
January 2007 deaf child starts Makindye Hills parents school in Kampala
June 2007 Local carpenter trained to make specialist equipment
June 2007 Income Generating craft project for parents of children with disabilities
October 2007 Two Kayunga children compete in world special Olympics in Shangia Hi China,
February 2008 Started work with Kisega parents school Kangulumira an inclusive education school
April 2008 Partnership with Scripture Union and UNAD (Uganda’s National association of the deaf) begins,
April 2008
Outreach clinic into Wabwoko sub county Kayunga district

May 2008
Implementation of deaf unit, in partner school new steps Natrubi, Currently have 12 children in this unit
June 2008 we start working with Fountain of Hope School Bukeeka
July 2008
Opening of Spring Of Hope office in Kangulumira town, start of drop in days where parents bring their children to
February 2009 Opening of Spring of Hope centre in Kangulumira, implementation of Occupational room and Activities of daily living room
February 2009 Implementation of new income generating project for families of children with disabilities – 30 chickens given out
February 2009 Implementation of Spring of Hope project income generating project for staff and running costs of the project.

For further information on Spring Of Hope please contact:
Teresha Clark 0782539554
Soh_uganda@yahoo.co.uk
YWAM Uganda
PO BOX 739
Jinja
Uganda
www.springofhope.org.uk