Everything Under The Sun: Supports For Those With Disabilities In South Africa

Scenes of the types of work Uhambo does.

Journey. Many would contend that life is a journey, in which a person does not really know the ultimate destination. Life journeys can also be made up of such journeys as college, trips to various places around the world, a journey of service to others, a career journey.

Back in 2008, Lucinda Kerschensteiner, at that time completing her graduate program, was on a journey to South Africa, Zambia specifically, to do research about the mobility sector and provide business support to a small manufacturer of wheelchairs. That trip sparked some ideas in a person who was already an advocate for those with disabilities and she founded UHAMBO USA, an organization based in the US, which serves those in Africa with disabilities by supporting the work of the Uhambo Foundation in Capetown. Interestingly, "Uhambo" means journey or traveling forward.

From surveys that have been done in South Africa, it was found that "[J]ust over 10 percent of young people with disabilities hardly ever leave or socialize beyond their home. 30% of school going age do not attend school, or a center of learning or care during the day, depriving them of opportunities to develop their strengths and abilities."

A large part of the effort of Uhambo has gone into developing training programs for parents of children with disabilities. That allows the organization to address such issues as this mother, who said, "the family is unhappy because she [the child with the disability] does not make sense when she talks, she does not understand anything and does things wrong," or this parent, who reported, "I was frightened, I sweat when I have to work with him [another child with a disability]." The training program has allowed these family carers to share their concerns and feelings, while receiving the support from others, who understand their situation.

Within the community, parents who have particular expertise and knowledge are trained to help link parents of children with disabilities with support services, These parents are known as Parent Champions. Parent support groups are also offered, providing a safe setting in which parents can take a break and share their issues and concerns with others in the same situation, At the community level, Uhambo also conducts surveys of local families to identify children with disabilities, so that services can be directed to those who need them. The organization also has a Social Work team, which helps families to access grants, connect with schools, and manage any acts of violence directed against them.

Parents sharing resources and challenges.

Because of all of the work being done in South Africa by Uhambo, especially in developing early childhood care, Danika Schultz, part of the team located in South Africa, visited the Posner Center for International Development in Denver to discuss Respite Care development in the US and even had time to participate in a fundraising event.