After a much needed break over Christmas and New Year, I’ve
definitely come back to work with a bang. Exceedingly busy, some awesome
moments, but as always mixed in with examples of inadequacies and corruption…
everywhere.
We’re really lucky to have our new SLT, Rachel Bell,
volunteering with us for the next 10 weeks. I keep saying it’ll give me some
breathing space, but really, that’s wishful thinking! It just means I have a
little bit more time to do the things that have been on my ‘to do’ list for
months now…
I took Rachel to the school she’s going to be working at
for the next couple of months Madegwa. It’s an inclusive primary school with a
special needs unit attached. The unit
has been split into the littleys and the older children/teenagers. 5 teachers
work here, all focusing on different areas, such as vocational skills, academic
skills (for those who can access it), early language development and total communication
using sign language. It’s definitely a real rarity to see a school like this,
and everyone was genuinely welcoming and friendly… everyone that is until the
county representative came to visit. I did my usual bit of professional
schmoozing, he asked where we were from and what we were doing. After
explaining he said “yes but, these children, how are they going to come up when
they’re hungry and don’t have pens or books?” I explained that wasn’t a problem
I was trying to tackle, that I was working to enable children with disabilities
a right to an education and an acceptance within their society. He said “yes
but aren’t you going to give us money”… I was shocked. Outraged. Here was a
government official blatantly asking me for money. On the basis that I’m white.
No other reason, but that. I told him it wasn’t my problem to fix and that the
government were responsible for ensuring its children were fed and had
resources in schools. Not me… He again said “so.. no money??” I said no, we
were giving FREE knowledge to teachers and health professionals and offering a
FREE health service. Not money…
Thankfully the conversation soon ended or else I don’t
know what else I would say. My heart was literally pounding and my blood
boiling. The audacity of the man…
This is why foreign aid has ruined countries like Kenya.
It’s developed a reliance, an attitude that a ‘white’ person is rich and here
to give money, an ignorance and a belief that they, in government, don’t need to
accept responsibility for their people…
I also saw a similar attitude when I spoke to a clinical
officer at Vihiga Hospital about the exciting opportunity I had for the staff
from different medical teams to receive a free workshop addressing the
importance of communicating with their patients by an expert doctor visiting
from Sweden. I was asked what the incentive would be… I told them free
knowledge, that in most countries in the world participants have to pay for
THEMSELVES and not be paid to attend by the facilitators… that’s right, there’s
an expectation of being paid transport costs (even if the training’s being held
in their workplace), lunch as well as a sitting allowance. They are actually
paid to sit in a training session. Again something that’s continuously
reinforced by NGOs… it’s so infuriating. Needless to say, I didn’t try and
fight it. Instead I’m running the workshop at the hospital in Kisumu, where (my
hero) Wilson who’s an OT I work with each week, has worked tirelessly to get
the workshop happening there, with no incentive. It’s happening on Thursday and
I can’t wait to attend.
Think I’ll stop ranting there, and move on to the more
positive stuff – and there’s been some corkers. This no doubt outweighs the
crap stuff, but sometimes the horrible side of it all has to be shared too..
Thursday sees the 3rd session for the Stroke
Support Group in Kisumu. The 2nd one was in January and it was
incredible. I came away literally buzzing. It truly encompasses the whole concept
of a ‘support group’. One of the ladies who attends had her stroke 6 months ago
and is still struggling to accept and come to terms with what’s happened to
her. She finds the support group an outlet for her frustrations, anxieties and
sadness. The others in the group rally around her to help her start dealing
with and accepting it. They offer the counselling that isn’t available to her
here, and it’s wonderful to watch and be a part of. My favourite quote was from
Josephine – “the present will help you go forward. Don’t look back, backwards
is down, and down is the grave.” Meaning that looking back to how you were
before your stroke is no way to overcome it and will only leave you feeling down
and depressed. Instead, look at where and who you are now. This is how you’ll
move forward. I loved it.
Parent support group – this is being run and organised by
Florence, our newly employed Parent Liaison Support Officer… It’s going from
strength to strength and they’ve just received registration as a community
based organisation which means they can now start doing small businesses and
applying for funding from the government. Rachel will also be working with them
each week to offer much needed SLT to the children.
Florence will now be working 3 mornings a week with us
supporting at our different clinics to help parents understand the difficulties
their child has, provide advice on communication and interaction with their
child, and empower the parents to ask people questions about their child. So
they are no longer in the dark about what treatment their child is getting and
can rightfully make informed decisions about their child’s well being.
I work with the most beautiful little girl called Faith.
She’s got cerebral palsy and her committed father brings her to therapy each
week in Kisumu. It’s been an absolute delight working with this family – they totally
understand the importance of therapy and in working alongside the teachers to
enable Faith to get the best possible opportunities. It’s been lovely working
with her Dad in enabling him to accept his daughter and see that she has a
future beyond her disability…
This is definitely my most favourite part of my job here –
working with families in supporting them accepting their child. It’s frustrating, difficult, but 99% of the time the most fulfilling part of my role here,
and it absolutely makes any therapy I do more successful..
New Year resolution – write more blogs!!!
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