Spring of Hope Trust

UK Registered Charity No 1143559

www.springofhopetrust.org.uk

Together we can make a difference

Working with disabled children and their families in partnership with Spring of Hope Uganda

Uganda CBO Reg No29.2011

Spring of Hope

aims to: -

enable disabled children reach their full potential.

- change attitudes so the disabled children are fully accepted in their community.

Spring of Hope Uganda

is a community based rehabilitation (CBO) programme and has been working in Uganda since in August 2004 (

formerly as a project within Youth with a Mission

).

Spring of Hope Trust

,

based in the UK, funds this important work. Both organisations were registered in August 2011in order for the programmes to grow and develop.

Martin

has cerebral palsy but through Spring of Hope his life has changed - now he has regular physiotherapy, his own wheelchair and a sponsor so he can go to school.

Spring of Hope Uganda

works in the poor rural Kayunga and Mukono districts of Uganda.

What we do:

- Assessment clinics - Home visits for physiotherapy and supporting parents - Teach daily living skills - Facilitate access to corrective surgery - Nutrition programmes - Epilepsy medication - Deaf sign language training for children, parents and teachers - Provide specialist equipment - Initiate income generating projects - Provide sponsors for school fees.

Preparing medication and registering the patients at one of the assessment clinics.

Spring of Hope

works with the local community to change lives

Working with the community ensures they: - develop an understanding of the factors causing disability. - value disabled people for who they are. - seek support and treatment to reduce the impact of disability.

- avoid unnecessary risk and reduce the incidence of disability, where ever possible, by avoiding some of the causes i.e malaria or measles.

Children in one of the villages

Working with and for the local community

Local Ugandan staff are paid an allowance from

Spring of Hope’s

funds to pay for their living expenses. SoH hope to train and appoint more local Ugandan staff as funding becomes available.

Occupational Therapy students are supervised by

Spring of Hope

team members.

Local craftsmen are also employed to make some of the specialist equipment for the disabled children

The SoH Uganda Team

is led by Teresha and Israel Karahukayo. Teresha (nee Clark) set up the project in 2004 and is the only non Ugandan on the team. The team includes: - a Physiotherapist - an Occupational Therapist a Community worker and - administration and accounts worker Focussing in the deprived rural villages they work closely with: - local schools to run education and training programmes for deaf and disabled children - local hospitals and a rehabilitation unit to access specialist treatment.

Teresha with some of the deaf children at Mt Zion School

The

SoH Trust

are committed to raising funds and supporting the work of SoH Uganda Three board members have personal experience of SoH Uganda’s work, one having volunteered with them for 6 months.

The Trust are seeking corporate and individual funders to take forward this valuable work. The board’s experience is used to monitor and guide the work in Uganda and ensure there is good quality feed back to funders.

One of the board members on a holiday in Uganda delivering some of the toys collected by a local school.

Links are developed with a range of organisations, schools and individuals to maximise opportunities

Spring of Hope Trust

believes that

Together we can make a difference.

Together we can make a difference

This is

Musa

who fell out of a mango tree. The doctors couldn't do anything for him and said he would not walk again. On returning home he was left on a bed and developed horrendous bed sores. SoH have been working with him and his life has changed. Now his bed sores are being maintained; he has a wheel chair and a shoe repair kit to run an income generating business, mending shoes. He has been able to buy himself a bed and is planning to buy himself a cow very soon. It is exciting to see that he is becoming an independent young man with a bright future.

Musa sitting next to his wheelchair repairing shoes .

A donor provided the funding for his repair kit as part of

Spring of Hope’s

income generating initiative.

Together we can make a difference

Many of

Spring of Hope’s

children have received plastering and physiotherapy treatment and are now more independent. One young man is now at university and you’d never know he had club foot until he was 11. We’ve seen children sit, walk and stand for the first time in their lives. One young man, Bosco, had crawled around on his knees for 17 years but is now walking and playing football.

Namuga is having her legs plastered so that in time she may be able to walk.

Spring of Hope Uganda

in action The team rents an office as a base for admin, equipment storage and where they run a monthly clinic and drop-ins. However most of the work is done out in the villages. SoH Ug has 3 motorbikes but urgently needs a 4x4.

Home visits are important to check on the progress, teach families physiotherapy exercises and to deliver food for those on nutrition programmes

.

.

Occupational Therapist on a home visit

A focus on nutrition

Children of all ages are brought to the clinic or drop ins at the office. Many are new to SoH and are suffering from poor diet, malnutrition, or dehydration and need specialist care that we struggle to provide. We urgently need funding for trained staff and a nutrition unit. SoHUg staff do what they can and food parcels are delivered wherever appropriate.

Brenda needed intensive support and is gradually improving

Many children lack adequate food or have difficulty with feeding, particularly those with cerebral palsy. They may have a poor appetite or have problems with digestion or swallowing.

Sadly, over the last 3yrs we have lost 50 children 90% of these children have been due to swallowing and feeding difficulties.

A focus on special equipment

SoH currently provided a range of aids often made by a local carpenter including: • Wooden chairs • Corner seats • Toilet seats • Standing frames Working with other disability organisations we are also able to access, subject to funding: • Walking frames • Artificial limbs arms • Callipers • Wheelchairs

Josephine uses the parallel bars built by SoH Community worker to build up her leg muscles.

A focus on addressing stigma

The stigma of disability is still a major issue with many of the families and communities. Misunderstandings exist about the cause of disability and some still hold a negative attitude towards disabled children and are not aware of what can be done. One such child was Prosy, who was 8 yrs old when SoH first met her. She has hydrocephalus. Since she was 2yrs old she had been laid on a mat all day every day. She now receives regular Physiotherapy, can sit and has her own wheel chair.

SoH run Parish Clinics, these provide an excellent way of educating the community and checking on the progress of the disabled children

A focus on the assessment clinics

.

Parents travel for miles bringing their children, with differing disabilities. Children are assessed for treatment and support. Some may be referred on for surgery. For others equipment needs are identified or physiotherapy programmes are developed.

We also help families to understand the disability and what can be done.

Children are now able to attend school, as their seizures are being maintained by epilepsy medication and the community understand about epilepsy and a seizure is not due to a demonic attack.

Thank you for your attention we hope that you might be able to consider supporting

Spring of Hope

For more information:

Jean Clark 01480890033 66 Windmill Close Ellington Huntingdon Cambs PE28 0AJ [email protected]

because we believe that

Together we can make a difference

Spring of Hope Trust UK Registered Charity No 1143559 Uganda CBO Reg No29.2011