Katutandike - Let's Get Started - Transforming Lives in Uganda

CELEBRATING EDUCATION - THE GLOBAL ACTION WEEK FOR EDUCATION

“EDUCATION, DISABILITY AND EMPLOYMENT”

Ka Tutandike Uganda (KTU) joins the rest of the world in celebrating the “Global Action Week for Education” from 4 to 10 May. 2014 Global Action Week focuses on “Equal Right, Equal Opportunity: Education and Disability”. For KTU, disability is an issue that the organization places priority on, and we mainstream disability in all our programme areas, including our own human resource recruits.

Global Action Week is one of the major focal points for the education movement, it provides everyone campaigning for the right to education with an opportunity to highlight a core area of the “Education For All” agenda and make targeted efforts to achieve change on the ground.

 

In most low and middle income countries like Uganda, children with disabilities are more likely to be out of school than any other group of children; even if they do attend school, children living with disabilities are often more likely to drop out and leave school early. In some countries, having a disability can more than double the chance of a child not being in school, compared to their non-disabled peers. It is therefore, unsurprising that in many countries children with disabilities make up the vast majority of those out of school. For those children with disabilities who actually manage to enter classrooms, the quality and form of schooling received is often in segregated schools and this can act to powerfully compound exclusion from the mainstream and confirm pre-existing societal notions about disability.

As we celebrate the Global Action Week for Education, KTU’s concern is in terms of employment after school for People with Disabilities (PWDs). While advocating for education for PWDs, it is also important to look at the high rate of unemployment that exists for the disabled. Majority is either unemployed or underemployed, despite their ability, desire, and willingness to work in the community. Little is being done to address this problem.

Leading by example, KTU presently employs two young persons with disability, who are both skilled and capable workers. Edgar has a hearing impairment and Christine is physically disabled. These are only some of the lucky ones who have been gainfully employed despite their disability. Many more are yet awaiting such opportunities to make a positive contribution to their society and lead productive lives. Furthermore, KTU also empowers women with disabilities with training and knowledge to participate in its social enterprise on KATU honey production in order to enable a better future for themselves and their families.

We therefore appeal to all actors to create more ambitious disability inclusive employment opportunities to enable the inclusion of people with disability and to eliminate discrimination and negative attitudes that hinders their full participation in society.  “Disability is not Inability.”