Imagine

Imagine……

You are fourteen years old. You cannot remember the last time you saw your father. Your mother has always been around and tries to support you the best she can, but she is lame. There aren’t many jobs for women with disabilities. Your family is poor and your mother struggles to provide. She has done her best to obtain the school fees needed for you to receive an education, but you are still only in third grade. Your classmates are 4 to 5 years younger than you.

But that is not the only thing that sets you apart.

Where most children see school as an escape from the harsh reality of life at home, school is just another struggle for you. You are disabled, confined to a wheelchair. You are fourteen years old and yet, you have to wear a diaper everyday because your school does not have a bathroom that you can access in your wheelchair. Each day, you deprive yourself of fluids in order to keep the smell of your waste from filling the classroom. But the smell persists and everyone is aware. All of your teachers tell you that you are incredibly bright, but you cannot perform to your full potential because you’re constantly in discomfort and constantly trying to erase yourself from the judgmental thoughts of others. You wish that things could be changed, but you don’t know how or when it will happen.

Unfortunately this is not a “what if” scenario for Nabakyondwa Rachel. This is her life.

Rachel is a student at Kitengessa Church of Uganda Primary School in Kitengessa Village . We recently found out about her situation and are hoping that you will stand with us in a project to change the life of Rachel and many others like her. In conjunction with East Africa Playgrounds’ building project at the same school on July 21 to August 23, we would like to have a team come that will build a pit-latrine that is wheelchair accessible. It seems like a simple task, but the impact that this building project will make on Rachel’s life is immeasurable. We imagine that there are other children in a similar situation that simply chose not to get an education. We hope that building this latrine would provide them with the opportunity to come and receive an education, leading to a better life.

If you’re interested in joining this team or helping to fund this project, please contact Rita Beach at Rita.FHLM@yahoo.com .