THE SOLUTION
Ekisa's social work team educates the families we work with and communities about disability. We teach about the medical and physical side of disability. We address commonly held assumptions and provide the knowledge needed to do away with them. Most importantly, though, we teach about the value of a person with disability.
A true understanding of the inherent and God-given value that a person with disability has is essential to ending stigma. A person's value is not found in their accomplishments in life, in school, or even in their ability to contribute in a home or in society. Their value was determined by their creator and that value cannot be altered, done away with, or added to by us or anyone else.
Persons with disability in Uganda are often stigmatized and discriminated against in their communities. Many of the beliefs and stigma that are held are simply from a lack of education and knowledge about disability.
A child with special needs often needs an array of extra help and services. The Ugandan government provides some free, public services to families in need, but there still exists a large gap between what a family can access and afford and what the child needs.
Ekisa works to fill this gap and provide wrap-around care and support services to children and their families. We provide some of these services to families at no cost and others through cost-sharing. Our goals are to help improve the quality of life for the child and their family and, at the same time, not creating unnecessary dependence.
Learn more about our services on our programs page.