Blind Children's Education Support Campaign
A phone, a computer and a screen reader for every blind child in Uganda.
Every blind child in Uganda should grow up able to use a phone and a computer with screen-reading software, and ideally own their own.
Why it matters to me
I have been totally blind since birth. Screen-reading software such as JAWS and NVDA is how I study, write and work every day.
A phone or a computer with a screen reader opens the same doors for a blind child. Too many blind children in Uganda never get that chance.
What we do
I founded the Campaign, and I lead it as its Director alongside my studies.
We find used phones and laptops and send them to disadvantaged blind children in Uganda who otherwise would not have the chance to own one.
2022: standing with the children of Salama School for the Blind
In the early hours of 25 October 2022, fire swept through the girls' dormitory at Salama School for the Blind (also spelled Salaama) in Luga village, Mukono District, east of Kampala, while the pupils slept.
Police confirmed 11 deaths, most of them children, and six others were taken to hospital in critical condition. Around 27 pupils had been sleeping in the dormitory. Police opened an investigation into the cause.
Sources: BBC News, Al Jazeera and Daily Monitor.
In that difficult time, the Campaign raised more than €13,000, which provided basic needs for the children.
We remember the children who lost their lives, and we hold their families, their classmates and their teachers in our hearts.
How a disaster like this affects blind children
Child-trauma specialists and UNICEF describe how fires and other emergencies hit children, and children with disabilities in particular:
- Fear and trauma. Children often feel anxious and worried about their safety, fear that another fire will start, and become distressed by reminders such as the smell of burning or the sound of sirens.
- Sleep problems. Changes in sleep and appetite, bad dreams and fear of sleeping alone are common, which is especially hard after a fire that struck a dormitory at night.
- Disrupted schooling. Concentration and school performance can suffer, and emergencies can destroy specialised equipment and learning materials.
- Lost belongings and assistive devices. Children with disabilities may lose their assistive devices, and replacing them can take a long time, which keeps them out of learning. For a blind child that can mean braille books, a white cane or a phone with a screen reader.
- Displacement and being left behind. In emergencies, children with disabilities are more likely to be left behind and to face barriers in getting help.
What helps, according to the same guidance: calm reassurance, honest answers, and getting back to familiar routines as soon as possible.
Sources: National Child Traumatic Stress Network, guidance on children affected by fires; UNICEF, children with disabilities in emergencies; UNICEF, disability-inclusive education in humanitarian action (PDF).
How the Campaign responds
- Meeting basic needs first. When Salama School for the Blind burned in 2022, the Campaign raised more than €13,000 to provide basic needs for the children.
- Getting learning back on track. Going forward, we aim to help replace the phones, laptops and learning tools that blind children lose, so that their education is not interrupted for longer than it must be.
- A device of their own. Every day, our goal stays the same: a phone and a computer with a screen reader for every blind child in Uganda.
In the news
- Fire kills 11 at Uganda school for visually impaired children
- Dormitory fire kills children at school for the blind in Uganda
- Uganda: Dorm fire at school for the blind kills 11 girls
- Mukono school fire: Loopholes revealed
Have a used phone or laptop?
Your old device could become a blind child's first phone or computer. If you have one to give, I would love to hear from you.
Have a used phone or laptop? Get in touch
Or write to [email protected] or call +46 72 934 95 77.