One day I'll get used to this phrase - otherwise known as an excuse as to why everything take so long to get done here!!
Yellow House was awarded with a grant from the Australian government to complete the refurbishment of the new therapy base at the E.A.R.C. with the money we have built a disabiled access pit latrine, a water tank and tables and chairs for running training. All well and good... We're also using the money to buy O.T. specific kit to support the O.T. and us speechies in working with kids with cerebral palsy. As well as some toys that we can use to develop language etc...
All well and good, apart from the fact that none of it has been completed, we don't have receipts, I have no concept of how much money is left to spend and we need everything to be completed by Thursday. This Thursday!!!
It seems I'm the only one that's frantic about this, everyone else = very relaxed. ''It'll happen Madam Rachael, it'll happen!!"
Hmmm, we'll see...
CP clinic today - I'm alarmed by the severity of each child with cerebral palsy. Not one has mild CP, the other thing that shocked me today is how many children are born 'normal' and then suddenly they get an infection (most likely malaria) and are left profoundly deaf, with learning or physical disabilities or with epilespsy. The aspect that has saddened me the most about the children I saw today, was that two of them could have been ok. If it weren't for the extent of the poverty here, their parent's could have afforded to take them to hospital as soon as they became ill, instead, they have to wait. They wait until their child is so ill they may die and hope that a conductor of a mutatu will take pity on them and take them to the hospital for free...
Yet another luxury we have at home - a free ambulance service....
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Friday, 24 June 2011
A live chicken in a plastic bag - now that's what I call a welcome....
So, week one done. Already - I can't believe it...
It's possibly been the biggest learning curve for me in both (corny) life and work. I'm constantly adapting to the way things are done here, trying not to compare everything to the way it's done at home and hoping the local people here accept me.
The side of things I have found most incredible, is how welcoming everyone is - they greet me by shaking my hand and profusely welcoming me to wherever I am visiting, they're so grateful that I have come and want to work with them and they give me gifts that they really can't afford to give (hence the chicken!!).
I am based at the Education Assessment and Resource Centre (E.A.R.C.) in Vihiga, western Kenya. There is two assessment teachers there, they assess children with special needs and decide which school is best to place them in. There's a co-ordinator and a deputy co-ordinator who do everything from training, out reach programmes and hearing assessments. And then, there's me and David. David is a newly qualified Ugandan SLT and he's one of the first SLT's to qualify in East Africa, so it's a massive deal that he's come to work with the charity. David is a God send - he like me can't speak swahili, yet somehow we get by, and he's so open to learning new things and is driven like me to get things done. I don't think I'll ever get used to the phrase "this is Africa" in that EVERYTHING takes forever to get done!!
This week I have worked at a cerebral palsy clinic with a local O.T., been to a special needs school where they have kids from 4 - 16 with CP, Autism, Downs Syndrome and Epilepsy, I've also visited a local hospital to start discussing training options and visited a neighbouring E.A.R.C. in Kisumu (about 30kilometres away - almost an hour by mutatu - tiny van bus thing to travel in), as I will be based there one day a week until another volunteer arrives in September.
I knew before I came that people perceived people with disabilities as a negative thing, but didn't quite realise the extent. They think autism is curable, people with CP have it because of the mother, so the father and extended family leave her to look after the child, epilepsy is seen as witchcraft and there is absolutely NO intergration of kids with special needs in a mainstream school...
However, there are so many good people here who are working ridiculously hard to try and change this perception..
It's possibly been the biggest learning curve for me in both (corny) life and work. I'm constantly adapting to the way things are done here, trying not to compare everything to the way it's done at home and hoping the local people here accept me.
The side of things I have found most incredible, is how welcoming everyone is - they greet me by shaking my hand and profusely welcoming me to wherever I am visiting, they're so grateful that I have come and want to work with them and they give me gifts that they really can't afford to give (hence the chicken!!).
I am based at the Education Assessment and Resource Centre (E.A.R.C.) in Vihiga, western Kenya. There is two assessment teachers there, they assess children with special needs and decide which school is best to place them in. There's a co-ordinator and a deputy co-ordinator who do everything from training, out reach programmes and hearing assessments. And then, there's me and David. David is a newly qualified Ugandan SLT and he's one of the first SLT's to qualify in East Africa, so it's a massive deal that he's come to work with the charity. David is a God send - he like me can't speak swahili, yet somehow we get by, and he's so open to learning new things and is driven like me to get things done. I don't think I'll ever get used to the phrase "this is Africa" in that EVERYTHING takes forever to get done!!
This week I have worked at a cerebral palsy clinic with a local O.T., been to a special needs school where they have kids from 4 - 16 with CP, Autism, Downs Syndrome and Epilepsy, I've also visited a local hospital to start discussing training options and visited a neighbouring E.A.R.C. in Kisumu (about 30kilometres away - almost an hour by mutatu - tiny van bus thing to travel in), as I will be based there one day a week until another volunteer arrives in September.
I knew before I came that people perceived people with disabilities as a negative thing, but didn't quite realise the extent. They think autism is curable, people with CP have it because of the mother, so the father and extended family leave her to look after the child, epilepsy is seen as witchcraft and there is absolutely NO intergration of kids with special needs in a mainstream school...
However, there are so many good people here who are working ridiculously hard to try and change this perception..
Saturday, 11 June 2011
As the panic starts to set in...
It's the strangest feeling in the world this moving to a whole new country malarky: one minute I can't believe I am going, the next I'm ridiculously excited and then suddenly I am absolutely gutted to be leaving and the saying bye aspect definately sucks...
As always I am a last minute queen and still have loads to do, however, I am quietly confident that all will fall into place. Not so confident in being able to fit all the new things I've bought into my backpack. Ah well, minor detail...
Although I am nervous about going, I know that there are lots of people in Vihiga looking forward to my arrival and to welcoming me as part of their community. I also know that all my friends and family are excited for me and have the most incredible belief in me that what I am going to do will be successful. People have been so generous in donating money, toys and resources to me and the project I will be volunteering with, including the new Boardmaker Software from Mayor-Johnson. All of these donations will be invaluable to the work I am hoping to do.
Should you wish to know more information about the charity I am volunteering with check out their website - http://www.yellowhousechildrens.org/
As always I am a last minute queen and still have loads to do, however, I am quietly confident that all will fall into place. Not so confident in being able to fit all the new things I've bought into my backpack. Ah well, minor detail...
Although I am nervous about going, I know that there are lots of people in Vihiga looking forward to my arrival and to welcoming me as part of their community. I also know that all my friends and family are excited for me and have the most incredible belief in me that what I am going to do will be successful. People have been so generous in donating money, toys and resources to me and the project I will be volunteering with, including the new Boardmaker Software from Mayor-Johnson. All of these donations will be invaluable to the work I am hoping to do.
Should you wish to know more information about the charity I am volunteering with check out their website - http://www.yellowhousechildrens.org/
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