A SIGN OF STRENGTH
“At just eleven years, Sylvia has plans to help other children with hearing impairment when she starts working as a fashion designer, especially by ensuring that they have access to education because she knows that they face many challenges in accessing education in Uganda. ”
It has been three years since the COVID-19 pandemic put the whole world on a standstill for months. It is a dark spot in the history of this decade that we who survived fortunately can look back at as a sign of our resilience as human beings. The contagious nature of COVID-19 warranted a total lockdown at the time and Uganda was no different. Students had to spend months away from school as the world tried to figure out how to deal with the pandemic. One such student was Namutyaba Sylvia, one of the Action in Africa scholarship students in the special needs program. Sylvia has a total hearing impairment, meaning she can not hear or speak. In 2020, Sylvia had only recently started going to school at St. Francis De-Sales Mulago School for the Deaf; she had just learned sign language and only started on other basic things like numerics and English in the Primary 2 (Grade 2) class.
In Uganda, because of the pandemic, attempts were made by the government to keep children studying, with public classes on radio and television, but these were not accessible or inclusive for Sylvia. So to keep her in school, we contacted one of Sylvia’s teachers, Akongo Lucy, who was contracted to conduct revision classes for Sylvia. In the start, it was very difficult because the time spent out of school had made Sylvia forget most of the things she had studied, including sign language. However, because of the revision classes, Sylvia was able to catch up with her education and gain even more skills and knowledge. These revision classes have continued for Sylvia despite the end of the pandemic.
Because of the classes, Sylvia is now one of the most active students in her class, and she has an excellent academic performance. Sylvia’s favourite subjects are English, Science and Religious education, and just like most of us, she still finds math a bit difficult. Sylvia also mentioned how much she loves being at the AIA centre for her revision classes. Because on top of learning with teacher Lucy, she gets to play different games, her favourite being Snakes and Ladders. She also enjoys reading picture story books from the Action in Africa public library.
But even with the support of Action in Africa, schools for special needs children still face major difficulties as far as staffing and access to educational materials goes. Sylvia’s school for example only has a few teachers, including Lucy, who have to teach multiple subjects to the students at the same payment rate as teachers in other schools without students with any impairments, yet special needs educators do much more work. Consequently, there is always a need for Sylvia to receive extra classes in the form of revision classes if she is to achieve her dream of becoming a fashion designer.
At just eleven years, Sylvia has plans to help other children with hearing impairment when she starts working as a fashion designer, especially by ensuring that they have access to education because she knows that they face many challenges in accessing education in Uganda. She is also very grateful for the assistance she receives which has enabled her to get her education. Her ability to confidently communicate her aspirations for herself and those like her comes from the empowering beacon that only education can ignite. A light we know shall shine even brighter as time goes on.
The Action in Africa Special Needs program has three students with different kinds of special needs. The students are supported with education scholarships that cover their tuition and school requirements. They are also offered special programs like extra classes to catch up with their peers, and physiotherapy for those with mobility needs. Just like Sylvia’s sign language classes, these programs are offered by qualified professionals like Teacher Lucy, who have the knowledge and skills to handle special needs students.
To meet the needs of our children with disabilities, this program provides personalized learning experiences, individualized therapy, and general aid for children with special needs. Our goal is to help them reach their full potential and experience the feeling of belonging; thereby improving their overall quality of life.
