Groundbreaking Ceremony

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.

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.

My preperation time was therefore limited but I managed to make it to the airport on Friday morning where we all joined up with the UK climbers headed for Kilimanjaro International Airport!! Our local tour guides (Ahsante Tours) were there to receive us in coordination with their UK counterparts (Action Challenge) all of whom are responsible for our climb logistics including assistive requirements for the 6 persons with disabilities in the group myself included. We all headed for Protea Hotel, a 45 minute drive from the airport. We indeed needed the rest at the hotel ready for the task ahead the following day!

We all assembled as a team getting to know each other over lunch which was followed by a briefing for the climb ahead and an equipment check. We also shared our individual reasons for participating in the climb.

The next morning 27th November2010, we all had our breakfast at 7am and were ready to leave for the Mountain at 7.30am.We had to sort our luggage so that we only carry what we need for the climb and the rest was stored for us in the post-event Hotel.

On arrival at the gate to Kilimanjaro, all of us alighted from the Ahsante’s tour van and our bags were assigned to potters and assistants while we cleared with the Tanzanian National Park officials to get a climbing permit. This took a bit of time but we eventually got it done, took a joint photo and set off with our guides.

As the climb began I noticed how much water was needed to avert dehydration as we struggled uphill – I was thankful that my guide was carrying my bag and water as we began the long task task with gusto! For a person with disability like myself and my colleagues in the team, this is an experience never to be erased in our memory in the entire life.

You can still contribute to enable me realise my goal at www.justgiving.com/fredrick-ouko

AbleChildAfrica would like to thank the Tanzanian High Commission for providing us with such a wonderful venue for this event and Action Challenge for organising the climb itself.

You can help him reach his £4,000 fundraising total by making a donation here online today

Shikuku was born in Kenya and contracted polio at the age of 5. He now lives in the Somerset in England and works in international development.

Shikuku says:

“It is a real honour to go on this great adventure with Dame Eveyln, she is a real inspiration and shows that people with disabilities can achieve extraordinary things in life.

“I share her belief that if we give disabled children in Africa the best possible start in life then they can also go on to do extraordinary things and make a contribution to their communities.

“I remember how, in my childhood in Africa, I would struggle to walk to school 3 km away without any walking aids – to attend grossly inaccessible classrooms – always arriving late to school. AbleChildAfrica is trying to make a difference in the lives of the many many children who are still struggling like I did.

“I want to climb Kilimanjaro to make a statement that we need to change our attitudes to disability and understand that disabled children deserve an equal chance just like everyone else. And I also want to raise lots of money for this great charity that is working hard to help give some of those children the best possible start in life.

“That’s why I am asking local people and local businesses to dig deep and please sponsor me, Dame Evelyn and the brave young disabled Africans who are making the journey with us.”

If you want to help Shikuku reach his fundraising target you can give now online.

Justina pictured here was one of the children who underwent surgery last week. Her mother told me how her daughters legs had been so weak that she had not, at the age of 7, ever been able to walk but had instead been forced to move around on all fours. When Justina’s disabling illness first started her mother sort advice from a local clinic but her daughter was mis-diagnosied twice and so the illness continued to cripple her daugher.

Justina and her family found out about the free surgery we were offering because our local partners working closely with a Parents Support Group in JInja who spread the message far and wide using local radio and loud speakers. All in all 112 children were assessed for surgery and 65 surgeries were completed successfully. The remaining children for whom surgery was not suitable have been offered other rehabilitative solutions for the problems they face. Justina’s mother told me ‘I stopped digging and brought my daughter for assessment immediately- I am so happy that now she will be able to walk’.

I heard so many amazing stories like this this week – which just goes to show that your money has made a real tangible difference in so many children’s lives. Thanks so much to everyone who contributed to the Smiles Fundraising – you have made a world of difference.

Most disabled children living in Africa today are still being denied an education; those that reach adulthood are unlikely to find decent employment and end up being driven further and further into poverty. Evelyn will climb with representatives of the charity and a group of young disabled people from the region and is seeking sponsors to help her maximize the funds raised from the climb.
Interested individuals, companies or organisation’s can help Evelyn reach her fundraising target of £25K by donating on line at http://www.justgiving.com/Evelyn-Glennie.

Evelyn is strongly motivated by her own story; here she tells us why she is so keen to participate in the climb: “I have chosen AbleChildAfrica and the challenge of climbing Kilimanjaro because I want to make a sustainable difference to our next generation. I have good reason to recognize the importance of education for ALL children; it empowered me to make my own unique journey in life. The children supported by this charity desperately need inclusion. A disabled child in Africa is too often without hope. Enabling these children means enrichment, quality of life, and reduced dependency for them, their families and communities. My challenge is to climb a mountain – your challenge is to help me make a difference”.

Mary Ann Mhina, Executive Director of AbleChildAfrica said: “Evelyn is an inspiration to us all. 52 million disabled young people in Africa are denied their rights on a daily basis. 95% do not complete their primary education and less than 2% are employed thereafter. Yet disabled young people have the right to be independent, included and make their own choices. To learn what they want to learn and choose a career and lifestyle for themselves. We are so please that Evelyn has chosen to join us on this journey, going the extraordinary mile to help demonstrate that disabled people can achieve what they want to achieve, given the opportunities”

Steve says:

‘I am delighted to take over as chair of AbleChildAfrica at such a critical time in our development. We need to build our partnerships with organisations working with disabled children and their families across Africa to realise our vision of a world in which all young disabled people are able to achieve their full potential. To do this, we need AbleChildAfrica to be a strong and stable organisation, so my first focus will be on building our resources so we can provide even better support to our current and future partners. I am looking forward to working with our director Mary Ann and all our colleagues to make this happen’