Soo...after only about 3hrs of sleep from the night shift last night I left to meet some volunteer friends to go to a house in Arusha of a family with a special needs child. Originally there was supposed to be a group of them, but the others couldn't get transportation that day, so there was just one girl. She was four years old with what seemed like cerebral palsy and I'm sure something else seeing as she couldn't speak either. She could hardly hold herself up and she couldn't control her movements. We came to play with her and give her exercise so that her grandma (primary care taker) could do other things for a couple hours. The whole family was there and they were so happy to see us come, all chatty and smiling and wanting to talk and they were fantastic with the little girl, making her laugh. I wish I was better with names, I can't remember the girls, but she was so strong! We'd try and stretch her legs and do bicycle movements and arm circles and she'd just pull them tight as she can to her body. Eventually she'd ease up and then getting her to laugh was so cute! So much potential.
She reminded me a lot of my sister who has cerebral palsy and hydrocephalus. At four, my sister wasn't doing much for herself either and I don't think she was talking a whole lot, but she atleast was going to therapy and had a wheelchair and later a walker once they got her to hold herself up. If only this little girl could have any of this. At the moment, it was up to her grandma/aunt/siblings and family to do the therapy for her and let's not go extreme and even think she has the chance of getting a wheelchair..cause she doesn't. In Tanzania, the handicapped are looked down upon and are often hidden away or put into institutions or some get placed in special schools which is great. I'd like to come back again and do more work with special needs kids here, organise a play date with several off them, help to pay for their transport cost and feed them lunch. So much more that I could do and yet I leave in four days...arghhh :(
There is a really good cafe that we frequented a lot in Usa River, about a 20 minute walk from my house that is actually a place that houses and teaches handicapped people a skill or trade that they can use to benefit others and help support themselves. The cafe helps to give money and it also provides a job for some of the people who live there as well. It's called Tanz-Hand's.
http://www.rehabilitation-center-tanzania.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=67&Itemid=121
She reminded me a lot of my sister who has cerebral palsy and hydrocephalus. At four, my sister wasn't doing much for herself either and I don't think she was talking a whole lot, but she atleast was going to therapy and had a wheelchair and later a walker once they got her to hold herself up. If only this little girl could have any of this. At the moment, it was up to her grandma/aunt/siblings and family to do the therapy for her and let's not go extreme and even think she has the chance of getting a wheelchair..cause she doesn't. In Tanzania, the handicapped are looked down upon and are often hidden away or put into institutions or some get placed in special schools which is great. I'd like to come back again and do more work with special needs kids here, organise a play date with several off them, help to pay for their transport cost and feed them lunch. So much more that I could do and yet I leave in four days...arghhh :(
There is a really good cafe that we frequented a lot in Usa River, about a 20 minute walk from my house that is actually a place that houses and teaches handicapped people a skill or trade that they can use to benefit others and help support themselves. The cafe helps to give money and it also provides a job for some of the people who live there as well. It's called Tanz-Hand's.
http://www.rehabilitation-center-tanzania.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=67&Itemid=121
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