Working to Inspire a New Generation:
People With Disabilities Uganda Launches Library for Children & Parents
By Laurie Moy

rowing up with a disability in Uganda means that all odds are against you. Children born with disabilities are often left for dead in the countryside, or outright killed. If the child's life is spared, he or she is likely to be hidden away in the backyards, away from the community. Children with disabilities are usually considered burdens on families already living in impoverished conditions. Parents and family members do not usually know how to care for these children, and support from the community is rare.

The alienation of these children and their families, stems from major misconceptions about disability. Birth defects and other disabilities are believed to be the results of curses, cast by evil spirits to punish families. They are also believed to be contagious. Because of these beliefs, many members of the community avoid families affected by disability, out of fear. But these misconceptions only serve to ostracize the very children and families who need help and support the most. Instead of alienation, these families need education, reassurance, and practical and emotional support.

People With Disabilities Uganda (PWDU) www.pwdu.org is a national, nonprofit, peace and disability rights organization, headquartered in Kampala, Uganda. Since 1989 PWDU has been promoting awareness, providing services and conducting trainings for adults and children with disabilities. Projects include a skills building program for preschoolers with disabilities, income generation programs for adults with disabilities, small arms proliferation research, and much more.

PWDU has recognized, however, that although many of these children succeed in learning social skills and activities of daily living, and in some cases vocational skills, they are still left feeling odd, out of place and unwanted in the community. Many children growing up with a disability do not aspire to anything beyond mere survival. They remain dependent on their families and avoid becoming productive members of society. Similarly, the families of these children do not encourage them to reach for their dreams. They, too, are influenced by the prevailing misconceptions, and they fail to recognize their child's full potential. The end result is a cycle of stigma and only marginal (if any) improvement in the lives of these children and their families.

So, on Tuesday November 13, children, parents, local leaders and members of the Ugandan press all gathered to celebrate the opening of PWDU's Children's Resource Library. Cheers were heard as representatives from PWDU cut the ceremonial ribbon.
The library provides books, magazines, tapes and videos to children with disabilities and their parents. They provide valuable information about disability, and in most cases, they represent a first exposure to positive attitudes about disability.

The entire library project was conceptualized and implemented by PWDU's team of online volunteers. The team, which was led by Jean Lin (USA), Angelica Hasbun (Costa Rica), and Laurie Moy (USA), completed research and program development, created web based donation systems, solicited donations, and developed proposal documents. More than 200 books, magazines, cassette tapes and videos were donated by organizations and individuals. Other supplies, such as seating, shelves and wall decorations were also donated.

On hand to open the library was Director Richard Mugisha, Online Volunteer Coordinator Laurie Moy, UNDP's Deputy Resident Representative Dan Temu, United Nations Volunteers Program Officer for Uganda Shaila Khan, and Program Manager for Children's Projects Bertha Kawooya. Scores of children and their parents also turned out for the festivities. Two of the children's classes performed songs to help celebrate the occasion.

PWDU and its online volunteers have great plans for the library. Goals for the project include establishing a circulation and lending system, training local adults with disabilities to run the library, and of course, increasing the library's collection. PWDU has set up a "wish list" with close to 100 books. These are titles that would be appropriate and useful additions to the library's collection. To view the list, visit the PWDU web site at www.pwdu.org/projects/library.asp. Contributions are always welcome.
PWDU believes the most important factor in a person's success is their motivation to achieve. By providing information, resources and examples of role models with disabilities, PWDU hopes to inspire the children and their families to realize their full and limitless potential.

lmoy@pwdu.org is the email address for Laurie Moy.