Comic Relief Project

Project Title: THE BRIGHT FUTURE: Access to inclusion learning for children with disabilities.

1.      Objective1: Strengthen inclusive, quality education for children with disabilities in refugees hosting areas of Uganda.

2.      Outcome 1: Parents are actively engaged in strengthening inclusive, quality education for children with disabilities in refugee hosting areas of Uganda.

3.      Activity 1.1: Deliver training in Instant skills (Income generation skills) for 75 caregivers of children with disabilities.

4.      Activity 1.2: Provide material support for business start-up for 75 caregivers and in developing context-specific business sustainability plans.

5.      Objective2: To enable refugee children with target conditions access quality education delivered in an inclusive and safe environment.

6.      Outcome 2: Refugee children with target conditions access quality education delivered in an inclusive and safe environment.

7.      Activity 2.2: Organize weekly play sessions at the mobile play centers. 

8.      MEAL Activities.
Conduct Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) activities (Baseline and needs assessment, Annual progress assessments and End of project assessment)

Our most recent project highlights including the targets reached.

1.      Activity 1.1: Deliver training in Instant skills (Income generation skills) for 75 caregivers of children with disabilities.

During the reporting period of December, January and February, 4 out of 5 Parents of children with disabilities enrolled in tailoring training completed their training placement in point J market. Four (04) parents (2 females and 2 male) completed and One (01) dropped out in the due course of the training giving a total of 5 parents initially enrolled.  

During the 3 months training period, the participants were able to acquire the following skills and knowledge, types of materials, knowing your machine e.g wheel rope, machine oil, Tape measures, scissors, Needles and bobbin.   Material measurement and cutting, Designing of school bags and women handbags. Skills in large materials measurement and cutting for making large bags, customer care concepts, advantages and disadvantages of mobile business, simple machines repairs and managements.

Additionally, during the 3 months, six (6) more caregivers were identified for tailoring; five (5) caregivers identified for home-based retail businesses due to severity of their children’s conditions. As a result, 5 caregivers for business were able to develop business plans using an existing template with support from Outreach workers. Out of the 5 caregivers, one (1) selected Sandal and Shoes selling, four (4) for food items and mixed goods.

1.      Activity 2.2: Organize weekly play sessions at the mobile play centers. 

During the 3 months’ period at the three (3) mobile play and learn centers,72 children with disabilities (39 males, 33 females), 71 non-disabled children (37 females and 34 males) were able to learn the following through play and learn; self-introduction including Age, personal names and address like village, Zone and Settlement this was done to strengthen their memory ability, reading simple wards and Spelling for Examples books and balls. Singing Alphabet songs and reading them, Concentration, Socialization and Friendships skills through Singing, clapping hands, and Dancing and this was done to make them inclusive and to develop the skills of togetherness for both non-disabled and disabled children with disabilities. letter sounds, and how to read and write, words that starts with the same letter at the beginning of the alphabet like Sun, Snake soap, shop and sheep and in other session they were taken through personal hygiene activities like the importantance of personal hygiene, cutting of hair short, Finger nails, bathing before going to school, washing uniform at least twice a week, wash hands after visiting latrine, and mentioning body parts that needs always good hygiene for both boys and girls.

1.   

As a result during the follow ups through home visit,  with focus to understand whether the performance of the children with disabilities was changing in teams of self-care, Examination results of 2024, reporting back to school,  receiving their medication in time and  improving in terms of understanding, reading and writing,  loving each other while  playing together with the rest of the children at home and school;  parents were able to testify positive changes and urged the program to continue as it has changed the behaviors and performance of their children.

 Additionally, financial guidance was provided to the 2 care givers/parents who received cash for educational support from DANISH REFUGEE COUNCIAL (DRC) and its usage through referral to DRC.  

·     Lessons learned and best practices emerging from this project

  Self-repatriation among beneficiaries, we have leant that cumulatively 6 beneficiaries have moved out of the settlement to the boarders and back to the country of origin.

·       Home based play sessions during farming period as parents get engaged in farming activities and during such seasons, we have adopted home based play session as turn up is always low at the mobile play centers.