Little Rock Groundbreaking Ceremony

Little Rock Graduation Ceremony

Larry Blackstock acts as a voluntary AbleChildAfrica Representative in Nairobi and is currently supporting Lilly Oyare, the Director of our partner supporting Lilly Oyare, the Director of our partner Little Rock, with the on-going development of their new centre. Larry and his wife Christine attended this year’s graduation ceremony at Little Rock and shared the following reflection.

Last week Lilly invited Christine and I to Little Rock’s end of year graduation ceremony.  It was a fantastic few hours.  Held in a church, each of the classes got up on stage one by one, and presented a song or a poem or dance routine.  There was even a short play based on the Good Samaritan parable.  Those children graduating and going on to primary school then donned their robes and caps, and received their certificates in a ceremony that resembled any high school or university graduation.  I have to confess that up until this point in the proceedings my eyes watered on several occasions – to see the confidence in some of these children, and the potential, and the manners, and the ambition, you just know that they have received these from Little Rock – the work is huge and the responsibility massive.

The penultimate agenda item for the day was the traditional thanking of the school teachers.  One by one Lilly read out their names & job titles and they took to the stage bursting with pride – you could see that they were so proud of the children’s performances that day.  And as they stood there, facing the audience, I had one of those moments that only lasted a few seconds, but in my mind time moved in slow motion and I was able to conduct a full and detailed analysis of the dynamics surrounding me.  The audience consisted of three groups, first, parents of the children that were graduating.  You could feel and almost touch the bond between these parents and Lilly – she knew each one by name and it was clear that Lilly was part of their lives.  The second group was a selection of previous graduates.  This group had gratefulness written all over their faces – grateful for the leg up that Little Rock had given them as they attended proper school – grateful for the open arms that the after school reading and tutoring classes offers them - grateful to be looked up to as examples for the current Little Rock students – grateful to and for Lilly.  The third group was family and friends of Little Rock.  Being part of this section, I knew that the vibe I was giving out was awe.  Awe at seeing something so simple and right executed perfectly - communities are supposed to take care of their needy, and this Lilly person has managed to action where many of us have only dreamed.

Written by Larry Blackstock

Launch of ‘Friends of AbleChildAfrica’

AbleChildAfrica is delighted to announce that we launched ‘Friends of AbleChildAfrica’ on the 8th November 2011. 100 guests joined us for a champagne reception, three course meal and one of a kind entertainment at the Inner Temple in London to celebrate the launch. Friends of AbleChildAfrica are individuals who contribute to the success of our work, and the work of our overseas partners, through regular financial contributions.

We are delighted to announce an anonymous donor matched all donations for 2012 pledged on the evening. This generous donor has just agreed to extend the deadline to make your donations go further! It is not too late – join Friends of AbleChildAfrica by the end of the year (December 31st 2011) and instantly double your donation. Our goal is to raise a further £3,245 before the end of the year to reach our donor’s challenge of raising £20,000 for match funding.

Click here to find out more about Friends of AbleChildAfrica and to join now.

Spakers on the night included Anne Wafula-Strike, AbleChildAfrica Patron, athlete, author and sporting ambassador who is currently working to qualify for the British paralympic team and Shikuku Obosi, AbleChildAfrica Trustee and astute human rights activist, having had a personal experience of childhood disability growing up in his native country Kenya. Performances came from Francesca Martinez, an award winning comedien known for her performances on the festival circuit, London stage and role on Ricky Gervais’ Extras and Venavi Drums, an African drumming and dancing troupe who brought a little bit of Africa to London on the night!

The evening was a lot of fun and we have received some great feedback.

“The speakers were great, the entertainment was fun and the MC was on top form. I especially enjoyed the bashing which Francesca (Martinez) gave the Tories, Bankers and other groups of people, who were all well represented in the hall. No one can accuse us of sycophancy!” – Zia Choudhury, Trustee.

“Everywhere I turn, I see a worthy cause and the list is endless. What last night did for me was to make a particular cause more real. Last night, I felt I was really contributing to something, to making a difference. The programme for the evening was effective at getting me to feel something for the organisation to which I was giving a donation and the people AbleChildAfrica supports. It also made me feel like I grew a little more knowledgeable, a little more empathetic and a little more inspired. Thank you.” –Colin Lyons

“Thank you so much for last night – it was AMAZING. It was beautifully done and I had some of the most interesting conversations with the speakers. I feel very motivated to re-engage and continuing supporting AbleChildAfrica.” – Kat Tucker

Click here to find out more about Friends of AbleChildAfrica and to join now.

 

Sports for Health Competitions and Business Development from ANDy

ANDy’s Sports for Health Project aims at using sport combined with courses which provide the skills necessary for work to improve the health and self esteem of young disabled people. With both of these they can increase their general health and well-being and are able to access opportunities for employment and business development, resulting in a huge  improvement to their livelihoods.

Tournaments and Competitions

In line with the program’s objectives, friendly matches and tournaments are held between users of the Sports for Health Project after every three months. Two months ago a friendly match was held in swimming, the match ensured that both disabled and non-disabled youth participated, the winner was one of ANDy’s deaf participants.

A wheelchair tournament has also been held in which ANDy’s team has played against the Nairobi Wheelchair Basketball team. Although ANDy’s team lost the match, they gained a lot in terms of team spirit, confidence and motivation. In addition to the match and tournament, ANDy’s deaf volleyball team played against the local Planet deaf team and succeeded in showcasing their skills on the field. ANDy’s sports program has received popularity within Nairobi and nationally as well because on 24^th September a feature was ran during prime time news on one of the local television channels; this has attracted more participants to join in the program.   

Emma Wambui is a participant in the Sports program and is involved in swimming. She lost her sight about 4 years ago and is grateful to be in the program since April 2011, she resonates this by saying;

“Since I joined the Sports for Health project, I have become a changed person, I have socialised a lot, met many people and my physical fitness has greatly improved. I lost my sight in 2008, and between 2008 and 2009 I was being rehabilitated and I was not able to participate in social activities……… with my lack of vision, swimming is one of the few skills which I can defend myself against enemies with, in this case being floods or large masses of water. It is also a skill in which I don’t necessarily need my sight in order to do well. I hope to continue with swimming even if the project comes to an end as I believe that by the end of the project I will be perfect in it.”

 

Access to Work Training

In addition to the Sports Project, training workshops on business development are being held regularly. The initial session was held on 15^th and 16^th August and involved participants being trained on how to develop business plans, effective curriculum vitae and application letters. As a result of the training, 15 viable business plans have been developed by the participants and ANDy’s team is in the process of supporting the businesses set out.

 

Fredrick Ouko,

Executive Director - Action Network for the Disabled

ANDy’s Update on the Sports for Health Project

Young Kenyans with disabilities are taking their first steps towards economic independence thanks to a unique project run by Able Child Africa and our partner organisation, Action Network for the Disabled (ANDy).

Catherine, who is blind and partially deaf, is among the first to secure an employment opportunity thanks to the Sports for Health programme. The programme uses regular team sports to build health, confidence and prepare young persons with disabilities for employment or running their own business.

Just three months after she joined ANDy’s programme, Catherine has started an internship as a phone operating instructor at Nairobi’s Kenyatta Industrial Rehabilitation Centre.

Catherine joined ANDy’s swimming sessions, where she is coached in the sport to gain confidence and develop skills like teamwork and leadership. Catherine says: “I am also gaining skills during the various workshops being organised at ANDy, some of the skills I am applying at my place of work, I have learnt about writing Curriculum Vitae and developing application letters. I am happy to be a beneficiary of the project”.

The majority of Nairobi’s estimated 150,000 young persons with disability below the poverty line, with fewer than 5% in employment and less than 10% gaining access to education. Cultural stigma around disability means that often even their own families have low aspirations for children with disabilities, with many ‘hidden away’ from the community. ANDy and Able Child Africa developed this programme to give them the confidence, skills and opportunity to escape this life of dependency and achieve independence.

Since ANDy launched the programme in April 2011, 50 young persons with disabilities in Nairobi  have actively participated in Wheelchair Basketball, Table Tennis, Deaf Volleyball and Swimming. Regular attendance leads to training in vital skills like CV-writing, interview techniques, while those with entrepreneurial aspirations have received business development and business plan preparation course.  Alfred Simiyu, ANDy’s basketball coach, says: “You can see the participants’ self-esteem, confidence and mobility improving tremendously after just a few weeks of the sessions.”  Click here to see pictures of the sports in action!

ANDy then thoroughly assesses each participant business plan or their qualifications, skills and experience before either matching them with either a job opportunity or internship which ANDy is securing with a range of employers, or distributing a small start-up grant to get their business started.

We have already trained 35 of the participants in entrepreneurship including, how to write a business plan, do market research, marketing and how to source for additional capital.

The ultimate aim is to help young persons with disabilities to live an economically independent life, gaining the skills and experience to secure permanent work or to develop and run their own successful business.

But the opportunity to play sport is itself a rarity for many in a country where public transport, buildings – not to mention basic information and services – are often inaccessible to anyone with a disability.

Catherine explains why the swimming has helped her get back the sporting aspect to her life which her disability threatened to take away.    “When I was partially deaf, I was quite active in the ball games, however I also lost my sight and hence was not able to play the games any more as I could not be able to see the ball. The opportunity to join in the sports and health project has provided me the opportunity of joining swimming and I am learning on how to become a swimmer. Swimming does not require sight as I just need to be guided in the water.”

Action Network for the Disabled (ANDy) vision is to create a barrier-free society fully inclusive of persons with disability in Kenya. ANDy’s mission is to advance and advocate for equal opportunities for youth with disabilities, through promoting proactive social and economic participation; programs and projects are targeted to youth who have limited access to opportunities and information.

Partnership Visits

ANDy’s Sports for Health Programme has received a visit from the Handicap International team responsible for mainstreaming and inclusion in the Dadaab refugee camp in northern Kenya. The team visited the sports venues and sessions to learn more about ANDy’s programme and play along with participants. The Dadaab team’s activities are centralized around advocating for persons with disability rights, empowering them with knowledge and opportunities and enhancing the accessibility of services for them. They also have sports for persons with disability within the refugee camps and hence were particularly interested with ANDy’s success in the sports for health implementation.

A Journey Comes to an End

by Susan Kisitu, former Chief Executive Officer of USDC 

I will be leaving USDC on the 31^st of August 2011. By that time I would have served USDC, in various capacities, for 22 years and 8 months. My first duty station was in Luwero district where I served as Field Coordinator for 14 years, I later moved to the head office as the M&E Officer, a position I held for 2 years and later took on the post of Field Director, which I held for 2 years. From July 2007, I have served the organization as the Chief Executive Officer.

As it turns out, I now win myself an accolade of longest serving Staff of USDC! Something I find very interesting having assured Mr. Jonathan Hett (first Executive Director of USDC) and Mr. Bernard Muller (First Field Director) in November 1988, that I was going to stay for only one year!!!! I feel most privileged now, to have achieved such an unintended honor.

I will always have very fond memories of USDC, for it is the only place I have known as a work place. I will always treasure the difference that USDC has made in the lives of thousands of children with disabilities out there, many of whom have gone on to start successful careers. I will always be very proud to have been part of their dreams, directly or indirectly.

How does one explain cases like the one of Johnathan*, one of the first youths with disabilities that I got in touch with in Luwero. Jonathan was afflicted by polio, which affected his lower limbs and he was a crawler.  When I first met him min 1989, Johnathan was a Kabalagala (our version of pancakes) vendor. When I mentioned to him the possibility of support to help him learn a skill, he told me off, saying he was not interested. He had earlier met people from other NGO’s whose promises for support had come to naught. He was now weary of NGO’s, feeling they were after using people like his as ladders! My pleas to give USDC a chance landed on deaf ears, he was not interested.  One year down the road, after seeing other youths with disability return from vocational school, he asked his mother to talk to me because he was now interested and could he please get another chance? That chance was readily given.  Jonathan trained in leather craftsmanship and 22 years down the road he is a successful cobbler in a popular area and is married with children. When I met him sometime back he told me that he valued what USDC had done for him and was ever grateful.

How about another story, that of Peter* who was an orphan and blinded by cataracts since an early age. Peter was known as the little boy that went around the village knocking objects. With USDC’s support, Peter had cataract surgery and is sight restored, he now wears glasses. What about Matthew*, who had contracted polio, affecting his right leg.  USDC supported an operation and braces, allowing Matthew to throw away the single stick he used to hobble with!  Matthew is now an advocate of the law, having graduated in 2006. USDC was part of this success, not just through the operation, but meeting some of his school dues too.  Each of these beneficiaries, and countless more like them, now help spread the messages of inclusion for disabled individuals by being highly visible members of their community and role models for young disabled children.

The memories are so many, and mostly good.  I thank USDC for this opportunity to change lives!!!

Thank you – USDC

 

*All names of children have been changed to protect their identity.

A New Home for Little Rock Students

On July 7th 2011, Euromoney held thier annual Awards for Excellence Dinner, one of the most prestigious banking awards ceremonies in the industry. AbleChildAfrica was fortunate to be chosen as the benefiting charity on the night and enough money was raised to begin work on building a bigger and better Inclusive Early Childhood Development Centre for Little Rock.  This new centre for excellence will nearly double the number of children Little Rock can reach, bringing much needed services to children and families living in poverty in Kibera, one of Africa’s largest slums.

We would like to say a huge thank you to all the banks who donated on the night!

Obituary: Sir David Aubrey Scott

David Scott was with Leana Arain and Bob Vass a founder of Uganda Society for Disabled Children (with whom we still work in Uganda) and guided it to become of major importance and change the lives of thousands of disabled children in Uganda. We were sad to hear the news of his death at the beginning of this year and are very grateful to be in reciept of the in memorandium donations from his funeral on 6th January.

The offical obiturary which appeared in the Times on 5th Jan is reproduced below:

Old-school diplomat who influenced British policy towards South Africa under apartheid
A diplomat who served as British Ambassador to South Africa at a decisive time in that country’s history, David Scott spent most of his distinguished career in Africa, with interludes as Deputy High Commissioner in Delhi, and High Commissioner to New Zealand.

David Aubrey Scott was born in 1919, the son of Hugh Scott, a housemaster at Wellington. After beginning a conventionally classical education at Charterhouse he read mining engineering at the University of Birmingham, where he met his future wife, Vera Ibbitson. After a war spent largely as an instructor in aircraft radar, he became chief radar adviser to the British Military Mission in Cairo, with the rank of major in the Egyptian Army.

In 1948 he joined the Commonwealth Relations Office, and in 1951 was posted to South Africa. It was there that he acquired his life-long enthusiasm for watching birds. He was promoted head of the Central Africa and Territories department in 1958, with responsibility for the High Commission Territories, the Central African Federation and Southern Rhodesia. One of his duties was to act as guardian to Prince Bereng, later King Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho.

From January 1959 Scott had to concentrate his attention on the Federation, which, it had become apparent, could not be kept alive against the wishes of its constituent parts. In 1961 he became Deputy High Commissioner in Salisbury and was with R. A. Butler at the Victoria Falls Conference when the Federation’s dissolution was negotiated. Although there was considerable friction between the British and Federal Governments, he made friends with politicians, black and white. So close did he become to the Federal prime minister, Sir Roy Welensky, that when Scott wrote his memoirs, Ambassador in Black and White, (1981) Welensky gave him full access to his papers.

After Delhi, Scott’s next African posting was to Uganda, where he was able to persuade President Obote to delay measures against the Asians, which would have turned a trickle of emigration into a flood. In March 1976 he returned to South Africa as Ambassador and got off to a good start by facilitating the withdrawal of South African troops to South-West Africa from Angola. Scott soon decided that the Republic’s “homelands” policy had no future, but did his best to help South Africa by publicly pleading that it should provide more ammunition for its friends. He left South Africa on retirement in June 1979, his departure having been delayed by the defeat of the Callaghan Government.

He was a greatly respected diplomat of the old school, who described himself as a worker on the shop floor of history, and valued above all the traditional diplomatic virtue of detachment. He combined gravitas with humour, kindliness and liberal principles, and exerted considerable influence on British policy towards South Africa.

After retirement he had a fulfilling career in business and put his South African experience to good use as vice-president of the UK-South Africa Trade Association from 1980 to 1985. He took an interest in a number of charities, and was a Governor of Sadler’s Wells Theatre.
He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.

Sir David Scott, GCMG, diplomat, was born on August 3, 1919. He died on December 27, 2010, aged 91

Some remarks by our patron, Keith Nethercot:

While it may be appropriate to describe his style as ‘old school’ and all that this may define, his commitment and love for the people of Africa, would be hard to match by any ‘new school’ diplomat. His modesty is reflected in the decision to grant the collection at his funeral to ACA, without any fanfare.

For USDC his energy and commitment was an important legacy. His wife, Lady Scott, was no less a supporter and sat on the London USDC Committee for many years.

They made it! Drumming up support from highest mountain

Our Patron Dame Evelyn Glennie – who took on the huge challenge of scaling Mount Kilimanjaro with a team of disabled Africans reached the peak early this morning (Wednesday 1 December). Congratulations to everyone involved!

Evelyn, who is an international percussionist, literally “played” her way up the mountain with her drumsticks to raise awareness of the challenges faced by Africa’s 52 million children and young people.

Her fellow climbers – who included a visually impaired Ugandan woman, a hearing impaired Ugandan man, a disabled Ugandan sportsman and two Kenyan men with physical disabilities caused by childhood polio –took on the climb ahead of International Day of Disabled People on Friday 3rd December.

Evelyn said:

“We know that rocks and stones do actually sing, they do create interesting sounds, so I took a pair of sticks because I was curious to find out what the mountain might sound like!”

“There are more than 52 million disabled children in Africa and too many are without hope. The only way we can make a sustainable difference is by including these children in Africa’s future development. I chose the challenge of climbing Kilimanjaro because I wanted to make a difference to our next generation.

“I have good reason to recognize the importance of education and inclusion for ALL children; it empowered me to make my own unique journey in life. The disabled children supported by AbleChildAfrica desperately need inclusion. Enabling these children means enrichment, quality of life, and reduced dependency for them, their families and communities.”

It wasn’t the first time that Evelyn played “Rock” music. Earlier this year she led a project using music to teach geology to children in Cumbria by building a “lithophone” which is a xylophone make of stone.

All the climbers hope their venture will highlight what disabled people can achieve when given the opportunity and help raise money for projects working with disabled children in Africa.

You can make a donation online here.

Meet The Climbers #2 heading for the summit

Tonight is the final night before the AbleClimbsAfrica team makes its assault on the summit.

We’ve talked about some of the disabled African climbers in the team including Florence, Fred and Shikuku.

We’ve also heard about the great contribution that AbleChildAfrica’s patron, Dame Evelyn Glennie is making by being on the climb, inspiring the team and bringer wider attention to our important work.

It’s also worth mentioning that there is a team of UK climbers who are on the climb and raising funds for our charity.

One is AbleChildAfrica supporter Espen Svendsen who is so committed to the cause that he is going to spend his 35th on the mountain this Thursday!

Espen, who lives in North London, was inspired to take part in the climb because he believes that every child should be given an equal opportunity in life.

He was also drawn by the idea of combining a personal challenge with raising money for a worthy cause – and he’s already raised £6,000 so well done Espen!

Speaking the final phase of the climb Espen says he is looking forward to Standing on the very top of Africa and expects to feel elated!

He says that climbing Kilimanjaro is the biggest challenge he’s taken on. Espen says that through life he’s had every opportunity to do what he wants, when he wants to and he realizes that everyone isn’t so fortunate.

He’e pleased to be returning to East Africa because he thinks it is a vibrant place, full of life and joy.

Before the climb he said “no doubt there’ll be a lot of sweat, tears and altitude sickness involved in this, but I’ll be darned if I don’t make it to the top”.

You can send Espen a very special birthday present this year by making a donation to AbleChildAfrica today.

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