Giggles in the Ark

I’ve had a brilliant day!  I’ve been in the Ark – the disability daycare centre at Soroti.  Today there were 7 children, 3 were new to me, the others are old friends. I carefully chose my clothes this morning – a dark patterned loose skirt (I have to wear skirts for the office and fieldwork, trousers are only culturally appropriate at the hotel or at weekends) that wouldn’t show any dirt but would allow some grace in getting up and down off the floor, and a yellow top.  I popped into the Ark the day we arrived and was immediately greeted by very sticky lunch covered hands. Some of the children have visual impairments but can see colour – so I went for the brightest top in the cupboard. I was ready…

I love the Ark.  Two of the staff are well known to us. They are incredible dedicated, caring and compassionate young women.  They handle the children with sensitivity and kindness, whether they’re stretching contracted limbs, singing simple songs, playing or joking and laughing.  That’s one of the amazing things about the Ark – there is so much laughing and smiling. I’ve been reviewing the children’s records today – last time we were here I made some recommendations with my ‘information management’ hat on. Oh joy! The records are excellent – so much better than before. This is partly due to the new manager who is not only extremely competent and suitably qualified, but also great with the children.  Back to the records…. I’ve also been asked to collect some information for a trip in the summer, which meant I had a good read of the files.  Reminding myself about the children’s backgrounds, their home and family life and the extent of their disabilities makes the happy, fun atmosphere even more remarkable.

My mate John lives with his grandmother. He doesn’t always make it to the Ark as his grandmother goes back to the village a lot. When they’re in the village, his physical therapy stops. This means his progress is slow – after the holidays it takes a while for his flexed joints to straighten again. John is a bundle of energy. His favourite trick is to get you to think you’re helping him stand, then start jumping and leaping so you’re carrying all his weight while he shrieks with laughter.  He loves playing with his friends and any adult whose willing.  It’s easy to forget that when he first came, he was shy and didn’t really move.

Rose is one of the new children. She hardly ever stops moving – charging about the room using a kind of jumping crawl. She follows John’s lead so as soon as he started trying to stand on me, she came over and started grabbing my legs and arms. I had a good game going with Rose, John and another boy involving a large ball – but eventually it disintegrated into a fight over the ball! Poor Tom came into the Ark and had them both trying to use him to stand at the same time, then 3 children all wanting to play a clapping game with him.  Rose has a few words and seems to understand most things – she’s a good imitator so the hope is that she will learn to count and read through repetition. 

Several children come from very large families with up to 12 dependants. Most live in completely inadequate one-roomed grass-thatched huts. Their families struggle to work and eat. Several are single-parent families after their fathers abandoned their disabled child. Having their children at the Ark means mums can work.    

At the end of the day, the children are all showered and given clean clothes. It’s the first time I’ve been around at bath time. There’s nothing like the abandoned glee of children being sprayed with water – Tom could hear the noise at the other end of the building! I was very happy to help with drying and dressing – though applying nappies was challenging (how are you supposed to know which way round they go?). Once the children were all clean, they sat quietly on a mat, knowing it was nearly time for the van to take them home. I disturbed the peace by discovering a ticklish child… irresistible.   As we all relaxed, piles of dirty clothes and wet towels surrounding us on the floor, John climbed onto my lap and snuggled in for a cuddle.  Ron, who had been bashing me in a ‘friendly’ way earlier, rested his head on my lap. The youngest, newest, child gave the first hint of a smile.

It has been a good day.