Please can I play?

 A trip to Uganda in 2008 changed my life – seeing overseas projects first-hand and meeting the local partners who plan and run the programmes, gave me a fresh appreciation of Global Care.  More importantly, I realised that my notion of ‘charity’ and my understanding of development work were based on old-fashioned ideas of the rich helping the poor. My eyes were opened to the concept of respectful collaborative partnership working – and community led initiatives. Privileged to visit more overseas projects, to volunteer in different capacities, and receive training, I’ve been challenged, enriched, stretched and encouraged.  

The Children with Disabilities (CWD) initiative, started in 2018 in Rukungiri, Uganda, aimed to assist children with mobility impairments to participate fully in school education. As volunteers, Tom & I visited Rukungiri, to support Moses and Penlope, the local team, with project management. Some of the children had started school, but most didn’t go regularly and arrived late if they did manage to limp or crawl to school or be carried by a parent. 

On our first visit in March 2019, the children were mostly at home. Their parents tried hard to support their disabled children, but living in remote impoverished communities, with minimal access to healthcare, most children were isolated with no chance of an education. Many were rejected by their communities. Moses and Penlope worked to support these children despite the covid pandemic. Accessible toilets were constructed at four schools, and children were supported by provision of mobility aids and transport to school. 

Fast forward five years, and most are in education, travelling to school on bicycles provided by Global Care. The project has ended, but Moses and Penlope keep in touch with the children where possible. They are invited to join in with central celebrations at the Rukungiri office. The local team are confident that 11 children will continue attending school, this is partly due to the economic stability provided by donated livestock as these can be sold as they breed, in order to cover costs of school fees and family emergencies in the future.  

It’s December 2024. With Steve, Head of Operations at Global Care, and David Oumo, Acting Uganda Country Manager, we’re helping to lead a trip to Rukungiri to run four days of children’s activities. There are 11 on the team, including David. It’s hot… it’s only 8.30am and it’s roasting. Our bus drives onto the school field and I’m relaxed, glad that after a good debrief last night, we have a revised plan for our second activity day. Children begin to gather and as we park the bus, several rush over. We climb off the bus and unload some sports kit. Before long the field is full of children kicking footballs, throwing netballs, skipping, and playing games with hoops. I do my usual scan to make sure all the children are involved in something, and my eye is caught by four young children sitting under the marquee.  

I walk over, and feel my mouth breaking into a huge grin, my eyes are damp… I know these children. I shout, “Hello!” … and they glance across.  What if no-one remembers me? I’m waving frantically, and then I see a smile spreading on *Bowen's face.  I try to remember all their names. There’s *Frida, a lovely girl with a marked scoliosis of her back, she must be about 12 now, she proudly showed me her end of year exam results in December 2019. I’ll never forget *Bowen and his cheeky laugh – I watched him walking with an adapted walker five years ago – he’d hardly left his home. Now I know he’s at school. I spot *Michael. Left at home alone while his parents worked in their fields, I’ve never seen him smile and he was shy and afraid when we visited him. Penlope comes over, that’s *Abel, she says, he was a baby when you met him, just 2, do you remember? Yes, I can see the crying toddler hiding in his dad’s arms.  

Tom comes over and starts organising games with the children. He calls their mothers over and sets them throwing beanbags through a hoop seated on their chairs. The giggles start. They get really good at it. Moses appears with a brightly coloured mat. Time for some different games. The children move to the mat, and we start more throwing and catching games. Tom sets up a seated game of ‘volleyball’.  

Then my heart literally leaps, I’ve spotted *Timothy, walking towards us. Timothy sees me and breaks into a grin.  I’m going to have trouble keeping my emotions in check today.

I first saw Timothy sitting on the floor at a back of a school classroom.  Through the disability project, an accessible toilet was built at Timothy's school (and another block of latrines for all the children), Timothy was given a special chair with a desk so he could write and be alongside his peers. On our second visit, 9 months later, Timothy calmly got out of his chair, walked to me, and gave me a massive hug. 

After a short time playing with us on the mat, Timothy gets up. He’s seen his friends, *Marvin, and two other boys, *Emmanuel and *Elliot playing football with Clive and Zara. Emmanuel has a new lower leg prosthesis! My smile is pulling at my face, this is incredible.  

The children on the mat are joined by *Grace, another child I never expected to see walking and interacting and laughing. As the children break into groups and go off to do crafts with Clare and Cathy, I’m delighted to spot *Tracey joining the dancing snake heading for the classroom. Throughout the day the UK team make sure the younger children are included in all the activities. I stay with them and ask for a teacher to translate. We do jigsaws, they make paper angels and jingle bell bracelets, when there’s singing and dancing, we do our best to join in.

I get out my finger puppets and we descend into a giggling mass – helped by a teacher who throws himself fully into the activity.

When the play parachute comes out, we make sure all the children are included. I can’t stop smiling... and half crying, as the five children go under the parachute, shrieking and laughing as they reach up to catch toys falling through a central hole.  

At the end of the day, the children receive certificates of attendance and are covered in stickers! I am overwhelmed with gratitude for this project. In 2019, the extent of the children’s isolation, untapped potential and lost opportunity was devastating. Today they are fully integrated, relatively independent children. Some are doing really well at school. The severely disabled children are laughing, interacting, and their mobility has improved tremendously.  Able-bodied children have helped their disabled peers throughout the day – in lots of different ways.  No stigma. This is without a doubt the best trip I’ve been on, so much change in just 6 years, hope and a future for children who were lost in darkness.  Thank you, Global Care, you have my appreciation and admiration for how much can be achieved with so little.  

*Names changed to protect children's identity.

Paintings and Patients

I’ve just had my first hot shower at full volume – it was a much needed treat as I’ve spent most of the day in the Ark, Global Care’s Disability Day care Centre. I’m also very appreciative of the contents of my washbag and realise this was probably the item I missed most when my suitcase went AWOL!

The children are fetched from home by the Global Care minibus. Today, as soon as they arrived, they went straight outside to play in the garden. It's often too hot for the outside play area as it has no shade, this morning it was cloudy first thing. The children piled onto the special swing and as Aida began pushing, smiles and giggles broke out.  When breakfast was ready, we moved inside. Most of the children have learnt to feed themselves but it can be a bit messy… Helping your friend to some of your tea by trying to pour it into his mug is tricky when neither of you have full use of your arms! I love mealtimes. I remember when most of the children had to be fed. It was clear several children have really progressed in the last 8 months. However, one girl ate breakfast incredibly fast – we don’t know when she had her last meal…

The Ark was buzzing today as new mobiles rustled and flapped in the wind, bright displays shimmered in the sun and the children and staff laughed, sang and played. I had a break for lunch and to discuss our findings at Abeko then it was back to the Ark to prepare the children’s letters to their sponsors. Daphine the Ark manager decided to make foot and handprints with poster paint. I walked onto the veranda to a scene of hilarious happy chaos – paint everywhere.  Lucy and Aida were supporting children as they dunked hands and feet in a bowl of paint then tried to manipulate contracted and moving feet and hands onto paper. It was brilliant. These children are like children everywhere, they love getting messy and they love painting. At the end we had beautiful prints – I was very impressed at Daphine's system which somehow kept excess paint off the ‘letters’.  The children were bathed and changed ready for home and after a sharp thundery shower we walked through thick mud and puddles to take the children to the waiting minibus. I dressed a child at the Ark after his shower – his grandmother had packed a T-shirt so torn I worried I’d ruin it as I stretched it over his contracted arms. They have no money for clothes and if they did, the disabled child would be last in line… I was starting to think of the struggles for these children – and the day wasn’t over.

Timmy (made up name) went to the Ark and left when he was ready for school. He’s recently been in and out of hospital. He needs radical surgery to correct a spinal deformity which presses on his lungs and causes severe pain. He can’t use his legs.  There is no-one at the local hospital or the nearest orthopaedic hospital skilled enough to operate. His best chance might be a hospital in Entebbe – but we don’t know for sure. David wanted photographs of Timmy’s spine, limbs and medical records to send to the Entebbe team to ask if they can help.  It’s a very long shot – we don’t know if the surgery is possible, we don't know how much it would cost or if funds are available, and we don’t know if Timmy would survive the journey (he’d have to go by bus).  When Timmy is in hospital his mother stays with him – and can’t work. She has no money. David has taken him to hospital on his motorbike several times… his mother can’t carry him and she can’t afford a motorbike taxi. I know Timmy. I’ve played with him, and he’s a very bright and interesting lad.  We talked to Timmy, took photos, prayed with him, and for the first time this trip I felt close to tears. It is so frustrating, and the injustice and suffering makes me angry. In any country Timmy would have a short life expectancy, here he is in pain and discomfort. His mother can’t afford for him to be in hospital again. David was getting him re-admitted – without Global Care there would literally be no hope.

In many ways the Ark children are in fact, not, like our children... No free access to the NHS, social care and a benefits system for parents and caregivers.  Children like Timmy don’t get the medical support they need because its impossibly expensive and inaccessible. Global Care is amazing – these children have hope and have people who play with them and teach them life skills, there’s medical care for sponsored children and a discretionary emergency medical fund.  

Next time you go to the GP think of Timmy, and whether you could support the Global Care emergency medical fund. I don’t often find myself blatantly promoting Global Care but if you’d been in that tiny one-roomed dark house with that teenager the size of an 8-year-old struggling to breathe, I think you’d forgive me.


Through Global Care's Children at Risk programme you can contribute to the Medical Emergency Fund for as little as £3/ month

You can't get away from the B word

T. S. Elliot wrote 'We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.' I'm inclined to agree. 

The second part of our journey was relatively painless. We left at 8.15 after a solid sleep and an excellent breakfast. We'd have slept anywhere - which was just as well - staying overnight in Uganda is properly noisy!

We made good progress until Mbale where a University graduation brought gridlock. The traffic situation wasn't helped by roadside photographers and people selling what appeared to be plastic bouquets, tinsle garlands, and commemorative heart medallions (think A4 size), who were hawking through car windows at any opportunity. I slept most of the journey... My body doesn't know either the day or time! 

We arrived in Soroti at 11.15 and headed for the hotel. Its always nice to recognise hotel staff but particularly great to be greeted with big smiles & by name. 

David & Fred the joint Global Care managers arrived and after a good catch up we started planning our week. Discussions continued over lunch & into the early afternoon! We've got a rough daily plan, and we're remembering how much extra work we bring along with our help. On Monday we're meeting the Abeko Disability Support Group, but of course there has to be a gathering and lunch because we're here. There will be speeches and reports... 

Tomorrow we're going to church in the morning and in the afternoon prepping for Monday. In case you're wondering, I've lost a case before, so my rucksack had essentials (like malaria pills) and 2 changes of clothes. In the office and villages I wear long skirts or dresses so come equipped for potential lost cases. We're thanking God for Tom's case arriving... It had his special dietary foods. I've learnt before not to complain about things I miss (white woman's shampoo & conditioner, the luxury of several changes of underwear and clothes), I'll meet plenty of people this week whose entire personal possessions are less than my case contents. I'll be sad if the children's presents don't arrive on time.

However, I've mislaid my precious Watertogo bottle.. A water bottle with a inbuilt filter. I think it fell out when we were rushed through security in Dubai. I hate buying plastic bottles of water but hopefully I'll find a simple water bottle and can decant boiled water or from large bottles. Water is still an issue here. Towns have piped water.. But not to all areas and not drinking water. Some villages have wells or springs but most rural families still have to make time every day to fetch & carry water. I'm lucky. I can afford bottled water. Tom has his filter. We're a Minority. Already we're thinking about the injustices and inequality for many people here. There's no escaping it.

There's also no escaping Brexit. It was one of the first things we discussed in our meeting. That and climate change. There's no escaping the effect privileged people's decisions have on the world's poor. Now I'm off to buy a drink & food and reflect on my western wealth and entitlement, and as Tom pointed out, power.