HIDDEN CHILDREN

 Hidden children

(Children with EXCEPTIONAL needs)

Children with disabilities are among the most neglected groups in the policy domain as well as in the private sphere. The majority of these children face enormous economic, political, and social barriers that have an adverse impact on their physical, social and intellectual development and wellbeing. Many of them do not have access to the most basic needs such as health services and education; experience multiple deprivations even within their family and are invisible in the national policy agenda. This is due to the fact that some people still considers disability as inability and hence, some people with disabilities are kept away from the public.

The Uganda Demographic and household surveys (UDHS) of 2006 and 2011 put the numbers at 7% and 16% respectively. About 80% of children with disabilities in Uganda are not getting education because of their disability. However education and training for people with disabilities is made possible in a few organizations. For people with disabilities, going to school is hard but getting a job is even 10 times harder. The disabled just make 0.2 % of the work force despite of the income tax makes a provision of tax incentives for employers of 5% or more people with disabilities. This is basically because of shortages of jobs people with disabilities traditionally qualify for. Coupled to this, people with disabilities don’t have access to facilities that help in reducing their predicament. Equipments like clutches, wheel chairs, hearing aids, glasses etc are hard to get access to leave alone the cost attached to acquiring them.

We believe that people with disabilities are an integral part of the society. The organization has actively been involved in a campaign to reach communities, identify and dismantle the many barriers that limit their chances to fully participate and contribute to the society and community activities. One of our goals is therefore to reach and eradicate this vice and work towards creating an environment that accommodates and empowers children and persons with special needs. With the direct involvement of Robert and Liz Sebunya the founders  of Mercy link Foundation Africa, Hidden children program is key on the agenda. We have a dream to expand this program nation wide from the central district, to the East, northern, west and southern Uganda. We believe children with disabilities have the potential to lead a fulfilling life and to contribute to the social, cultural and economic vitality of their communities. This belief has therefore build a foundation to support and advocate for children with disabilities through its arm called “Hidden Children”.

Vision

·         We want to have a society with all round educated physically handicapped people able to contribute to national development.

·         We seek provide education, rehabilitation and equip physically handicapped children for development and self reliance.

·         Childhood disability Information and Education: Improve knowledge, attitudes and practices concerning child hood disability within the community, including policy makers, Parents   and local churches.

·         Building Local church capacity and empowering parents to offer care and protection

·         Platform for the rights of Hidden Children – Strengthen partnership through networking with stakeholders at all levels and establishing a platform for fulfillment of the rights of disabled children in Uganda.

·         Lobbying for support towards disabled children/ persons with disabilities.,

·         Policy advocacy and Lobbying -Work towards the incorporation of childhood disability issues in government plans and policies, at all levels.

·         Capacity Building -Increase the capacity of children, families and other partner for the fulfillment of rights of children with the special needs.

·         Reaching children and persons with special needed with the Gospel and also engaging them in community development activities.

We Protect and promote the rights of children  with disabilities by lobbing for the provision of  Formal Education  in partnership with Kampala school for the handicapped one of the oldest school which was established in 1969 with aim to improve the quality of life and rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy in Uganda., community sensitization , wheel chairs, teaching and promoting vocational skill education to empower them to become self reliant, and also helping them overcome some of their common challenges which include stigmatization, lack of proper communication to the blind, the deaf, competition for seats with able students in lecture rooms, to lack of enough money to buy some material things they need for their education, which are more expensive than the tuition paid by the government yet such things are not covered by the policy.

We welcome donations and support from Churches, Foundations, Embassies, organizations and individuals towards this cause. This can be done in kind or provision of services. The following support programs are available for support.

Support procedure

item	Monthly (us$)		quarterly(us$)	annually(us$)
Education/child	25	75		300
Community Sensitization	80		240	960
Feeding	30		90	270
Crutches				40
Wheel chairs (ONE TIME DONATION)				300

We also encourage and welcome one time donations towards this cause.

Please send your Donations to

Account:   Mercy Link Foundation Africa (Bank of Africa)

                           # 03054650005

Swift code: AFRIUGKA

Below are some of the beloved children and persons with exception needs who need support. We will send more information on the child/ person you have chosen.

Please Note: This information must not be exposed to social media as it will cause emotional damage. To these loved ones.

Pamela’s  story 

Pamela  and her Mom

Childs Name: Pamela Bushimu

Age: 11 Months                                   

Date of Birth: November 2012

Gender: Female                              

Nationality: Ugandan

Physical Address (Village/ zone of residence): Busaana Island lake victoria Jinja

Parents/Guardians Information

Mothers Name: Nasiimbwa  Constance	Fathers Name: Francisco Don
Occupation: House Wife	Occupation: Fisher Man

Pamela’s Story

As a baby, Pamela has been in and out of the clinics undergoing treatments for a disease that doctors had failed to diagnose.  It’s upon this that one of her doctors from the clinics on the island proposed that the parents visit a major hospital and take the baby for scanning. This prompted them to visit Mulago Referral hospital in the month of March 2013  from where a scan undertaken revealed a heart problem which revealed a Hole in her heart a condition that requires a heart operation. This prompted the family to undertake another scan at Rippons Hospital in Jinja which confirmed the results from the first scan.

From the time of this scan Pamela has not had any medical help provided concerning her condition because of the financial constraints that the family is facing. Being that the family income comes from fishing which cant support even quarter of the bill required her operation, she has been left hopeless at the mercy of a Good Samaritan who can help in solving her predicament.

As a network, upon meeting and hearing Pamela’s story, we have taken an initiative to mobilize finances and any support towards this cause. We believe it’s our mandate to raise awareness and allow God to use his beloved people as his arm to reach out and touch the needy and vulnerable in the communities.

As you read through, our prayer is that the Lord will lead and guide you in whatever way he will desire of you to associate with us in anyway possible as we work to fulfill  that he has birthed and desired of us in fulfilling as we reach and touch the communities with the love of Jesus. Our desire is that you would pray with us that God will bring people to partner with us in reaching the family and this community in busaana Island through Baby Pamela.

May the Almighty God bless you

Yours in Service

Robert  and Liz Sebunya M.

Please send all  donations towards Pamela's operation  in the names of

Mercy Link Foundation Africa
 Account # 0305460005 (Bank of Africa)
Swift Code : AFRIUGKA

for more information
Mercy Link Foundation Africa
Registered Charity S.5914/10122
P.O.BOX 28698 KAMPALA UGANDA
Mobile Line +256 772314262 (MTN)
Emails: mercylink2@gmail.com
            mercylinkadmn@yahoo.com

NEGLECTED BY HER OWN FATHER, DENIED THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION BECAUSE SHE WAS LAME IN BOTH LEGS!

Aisha was born normal just like any other child but at the age of 4 she fell sick and became lame in both legs. She watched her elder sisters and brothers go to school while she stayed at home in wakimese village west of Kampala.

The parents are staunch Moslems and the father sees no reason for her to have an education just like other children in the home. We got to know about Aisha through one well-wisher Tom a photographer who took photos at our wedding ceremony last year. During the wedding reception Tom learnt that Liz and I have been working with “Hidden children” (disabled children) for the last 14 years. He asked us if we can get her a wheel chair and also find a school that will take her in because she has never been to school all of her life. Her father neglected her and always referred to her as an omen in their home. The mother who makes African ladies bags for a leaving told us that Aisha father ( Truck driver) has not been supportive at all and she provides for the home while her husband drinks all his income and marries other women.

We thank God for our partnership with Mengo School for the hand capped which has accepted to take her in. We are in the process of getting Aisha a wheel chair.  After an analysis at a rehabilitataion hospital for people with special needs on Entebbe Road (Corsu) the doctors told us there is a possibility for her to walk again after an operation.

Please continue praying for Aisha to walk again and provision for her education.

We welcome all the  support for this precious angel to achieve an education.

For more details contact us on mercylink2@gmail.com

You can also make a donation to Mercy Link Foundation Africa Alc # 03054650005 Bank of Africa

Asiya (Moslem) her father neglectected her b'se she was disabled

 !

MOST LONG SERVING VOLUTEERS TO UGANDA’S OLDEST SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN WHO ARE PHISICALLY CHALLENGED.

This Thursday 2^nd May 2013 Robert s. Mpagi was recognized as the longest serving volunteer at the oldest school for children with special needs ( Kampala school for the handicapped) Together with Elizabeth K Sebunya ( Now wife ) have been volunteering as  chaplains for the last 13 years. The school started in 1969 by parents who had children with cerebral palsy. The aim was to improve the quality of life and rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy in Uganda. It started with capacity of 30 children.

It has expanded to include children with various disabilities and to date it has an enrolment   of more than 130 children with 37 staff members.

Robert after a Life skill session on Time Keeping

The children at the school are aged between 6 and 21 years. More than 50% of the pupils have cerebral pulse; however the school also caters for other disabilities, such as spinal bifida, muscular dystrophy, polio, hydrocephalus, Dawn syndrome and a variety of mental and congenital disorders.

Robert and Liz have been committed over the years in teaching Biblical foundation, children’s rights and   Life skills to these adorable children. In addition to these children get formal education, and also they get many opportunities to learn vocational skills. These sessions are extremely important as it aids the pupils in becoming self reliant and equips them in essential life skills for a better future. The children learn tailoring, pottery, ceramic bead making, gardening, screen printing, cookery, leather craft, cloth printing, knitting, mushroom growing and cattle rearing (Zero grazing)

According to Article 24 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Section 5 of Uganda’s Persons with Disability Act, 2006, and Article 35 of the 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda among others, people with disabilities just like others, have a right to education and they call for appropriate measures to enable them realize their full potential. 

Also, Article 3 (d) of the World Declaration for Higher Education (1998), and the government of Uganda Education White Paper (1992) calls for active facilitation of students with disabilities in accessing and continuing with their education in order to enable them cope with the demands of studying.

 In spite of all these, UNESCO (2010) discovered that 98 percent of children with disabilities in developing countries including Uganda are not in school. In addition, the data for the 2002 Population and Housing Census in Uganda reveals that about 90 percent of people with disabilities did not study beyond primary education. Basing on the above information, we cannot afford to continue neglecting persons with disabilities because; World Health Organization (WHO) statistics reveals that persons with disabilities make up to approximately 10 percent of the total population of Uganda. Such a population is too big to be neglected.

 Secondly, most of the students with disabilities who have got a chance to access education have proved to be very brilliant. Also, education being a tool to empowerment, by enabling them to attain the necessary education and skills, it would help them overcome some of the challenges they face like poverty in addition of instilling in them a sense of dignity and self worth. 

 The findings of a post graduate academic research that was conducted at Makerere University reveals that in spite of government sponsorship of disabled students under the affirmative action policy, the number of students with disabilities at the university is far lower than expected. One of the major reasons for this state of affairs is that there is lack of sensitization and awareness campaigns to the public about the availability of such an opportunity for students with disabilities. This is due to the fact that some people still considers disability as inability and hence, some people with disabilities are kept away from the public. The lucky ones who access the information and gets admitted some of them do not complete their courses because of many challenges ranging from stigmatization, lack of proper communication to the blind, the deaf, competition for seats with able students in lecture rooms, to lack of enough money to buy some material things they need for their education, which are more expensive than the tuition paid by the government yet such things are not covered by the policy. For example, Braille - a device used by blind students for writing can go up to 1.5 million shillings and they are imported.

In view of this therefore, Mercy Link Foundation Africa as an organization feels obligated to stand out and advocate and support such children (Persons) with disabilities from their predicament by creating other policies to supplement on the existing one on admission so as to provide an environment which is user friendly and favorable for their learning and on job through its ministry Arm called HIDDEN CHILDREN. In light to this, I and my wife Elizabeth have been involved in the spiritual well being of such children at Kampala School of the Handicapped for the last 12 years. This first hands experience of what they go through has motivated us as a team to create an advocacy for their well being and better standard of living. Among the things we advocate for include wheel chairs for the lame, scholastic materials, basic needs like clothes and food, and sponsorship. We are also involved in changing perceptions of the communities about disabilities. Many people in Uganda still believe that disabilities are as a result of witchcraft, bad omen, punishment for a sin parents should have committed which results into stigma, neglect and abuse for children with special needs.

Many children with disabilities at higher institutions of learning and other institutions of who are as brilliant and determined can’t continue with their education because of lack of necessary facilitation. Such a scenario is that of Nabukwasi Lydia a primary Seven leaver at Walukuba west primary school. Walukuba west primary school begun in 2002 after the death of a specialist called Miss. Nambafu Caroline. The unit was begun in Walukuba with only four deaf children. It only had one specialist teacher called Mrs. Buwereza Flavia who happens to be the headmistress of the unit today. The school started progressing after starting a campaign on local radio stations about stigmatization of children with disabilities. In so doing parents became aware of the need of educating these children and therefore started bringing them to the school.

NABUKWASI’S CASE STORY

Nabukwasi Lydia is an orphan girl who grew up with her aunt. She is a born a gain Christian who mops the church and sings in the choir. She loves God and hard working and has always made beads for sale to buy scholastic materials.

Lydia began schooling in primary two when she was given to Mrs. Flavia her guardian by her aunt as a babysitter. Being a well disciplined child, she was put in primary 2 at the age of 10 years. She studied well till now that she is done now with studies although through hard time.  

Her aunt supported her up to Primary Six but because of family responsibilities she could no longer continue helping her. When she passed to join primary seven, fortunately the interact club of PMM girls paid her school fees for that whole year.

Having scored aggregate 23 in her primary leaving exams, her major problem now is joining senior one because her aunt who initially paid her fees has two children in secondary school and is herself doing a bachelors degree in Special Needs therefore she can no longer support her anymore being that she has no money and is a single mother.

Asiya (Moslem) her father neglectected her b'se she was disabled

 !

That’s the reason why Lydia seeks sponsorship hoping that someone out there will take the initiative to sponsor her through her secondary education. It is through this way that the world would be made a better place for them to live in.

 

GET INVOLVED

Ø  You can sponsor “Hidden Children” (Children with special needs) have access to education, wheel chairs and crutches.

Ø  You can adopt a community by sponsoring community children’s Club.

Ø  You can donate Humanitarians Items to mothers with babies in prison

Ø  You can adopt an HIV/AIDS Affected Family.

Ø  You can adopt poor Moslem family.

Ø  You can support evangelism  communities, schools, red-light districts and prisons

Ø  You can donate Bibles and gospel tracts to the unreached communities.

Ø  You can support Sunday school teachers and leaders trainings.

Ø  You can support our church planting programs

Ø  You can support the building Education centers.

Ø  You can adopt a community children/ youth power Hub.

Ø  You can also participate physically by volunteering in the above mentioned ministry opportunities.

Ø  Donate towards the Jesus film ministry to unreached communities of Uganda.

To donate or get involved please write to us on Mercylink2@gmail.com

Or call us on Office line: +256 790913402 (Orange), MobileLine+256772314262 (MTN)
Mobile Line +256 704927362 ( Warid)

You can now make donations to
Mercy Link Foundation Africa Account # 0305460005 (Bank of Africa)
Swift Code : AFRIUGKA













The Qumran was a first-century Jewish community that had isolated itself from outside influences to prepare for the arrival of the Messiah. They took great care in devotional life, ceremonial washings, and strict adherence to rules of conduct. Surviving documents show that they would not allow the lame, the blind, or the crippled into their communities. This was based on their conviction that anyone with a physical “blemish” was ceremonially unclean. During their table fellowship, disabled people were never on their guest lists.

Ironically, at that same time the Messiah of Israel was at work in the cities and villages of Judea and Galilee. Jesus proclaimed His Father’s kingdom, brought teaching and comfort, and worked mighty miracles. Strikingly, He proclaimed: “When you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed” (Luke 14:13-14).

A TABLE MAT FROM SIMON(HE USES FEET TO DESIGN )...

The contrast between Jesus’ words and the guest list of the Qumran “spiritual elite” is instructive to us. Often we like to fellowship with people who look, think, and act like us. But our Lord exhorts us to be like Him and open our doors to everyone. The gospel must be shared with all,
Not just with those like you and me;For God embraces everyone.