Naweza Child Support Initiative

"Naweza raises awareness in the community about disability and advocates for change at different levels"

About Us

What We Do

Naweza Children Support Initiative

What We Do

NCSI is working through parental support groups for them to be the champions of advocating for the rights of their children. NCSI believes that the parents of these children who are also the primary caregivers, possess invaluable insights into the unique circumstances of their children.

Their firsthand experiences form the bedrock for well-informed decisions and policy considerations, making their participation crucial to the success of NCSI's endeavors.

1.Inclusive Education
2.Advocacy and Awareness
3.Economic Empowerment Initiatives
4.Health and Rehabilitation Initiatives
5.Promoting Leisure and Sports Activities

What We want to do for People

We have 5 pillars that our work concentrates on

Education is the most vital tool to empower communities. Research shows that educating children with disabilities is a good investment

Ultimate goal is to establish a vocational training centre children with special needs.

Inclusive Education

Advocacy and Awareness

Economic Empowerment Initiatives

Health and Rehabilitation Initiatives



Promoting Leisure and Sports Activities



1. Education

Why education for children with special needs/disabilities important?


Education is the most vital tool to empower communities.
Research shows that educating children with disabilities is a good investment. Education reduces future and current dependence.
It frees other household members from caring responsibilities, allowing them to engage in employment or other productive activities.
Education leads to increment of the child’s potential of productivity, wealth creation which ultimately helps in poverty alleviation.
However, children with disabilities are disadvantaged in terms of school enrolment, educational attainment as well as learning.
Goal 4 of the sustainable developmental goals focuses on ensuring equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable including persons with disabilities. It also calls for building and upgrading education facilities which are child, disability.



What is the situation like in special needs education in Uganda?

What is Naweza doing and planning to do in the area of education?


We are training teachers in ways of how they can work with children with special needs. We are also seeking for ways of how we could secure scholarships to encourage young people from the community to take up special needs education training.
We are advocating for an education that meets the needs of children with special needs instead of being subjected to the same examination-oriented curricula.
Naweza is advocating for access to Augmentative Alternative Communication for children with speech challenges because these children learn in special ways.
Naweza is also seeking sponsorship for children with special needs
Ultimate goal is to establish a vocational training centre children with special needs.


2. Advocacy and Awareness

Naweza proposes to carry out campaigns to promote the rights of children with special needs, promote positive attitudes towards children with special needs and their families, promote the recognition of their skills, merits and abilities as their contribution in different areas.
This is inline with the mission of the organisation of serving humanity

To carry out effective advocacy, a number of research initiatives need to be conducted to inform more interventions

Activity

1. Collect data through outreach programmes to document the stigma and harmful practices experienced by PWDs.
2. Research and prepare resources on disability awareness.
3. Design a questionnaire to assess the iniatives/ interventions being carried to protect PWDs’ rights.
4. Identify prominent PWDs and young PWDs who can be inspirational role models to empower PWDS
5. Identify public figures that can help in disability awareness.




3. Economic Empowerment Initiatives

Naweza supports the caregivers and families caring for children with special needs to engage in income-generating initiatives to generate income to sustain their families as well as meeting the high costs of caring for a disabled child. They will be trained in tailoring, agriculture, baking, crafts and other skills-based training for self-employment. We believe this will have a multiplier effect to their communities.

Providing a livelihood to care givers
Worldwide disabled people live in poverty

Economically empowering caregivers of children with disabilities is a means of getting out of poverty and getting the means of supporting the children with disabilities.Though Naweza provides food relief to carers of CSNs, the long-term target is to provide people with the means to support themselves.




4. Health Care

Children with disabilities lave limited access to healthcare services and even where they are available, they are too costly.

Cost of rehabilitation
how NAWEZA is tackling health care for the disabled? Teaching healthcare OEP



5. Health and Rehabilitation Initiatives

Specific Services


Training
Relief
Provision of Augmentative Alternative communication service
Therapy
Play group for children with special needs
Weekend School
Naweza parents’ workshops
School outreach programmes
Leadership training workshops for children with special needs


5. Promoting Leisure and Sports Activities

Naweza believes that engaging in leisure and sporting activities not only enhances individual health and well-being but also contributes to empowerment and the creation of inclusive communities. Not only do sporting activities mitigate the stigma often associated with disabilities, but also by showcasing sporting skills and abilities, community perceptions towards disability can shift away from a focus on the disability and towards recognizing the person within.

THE PRINCIPLES BEHIND WHAT WE DO

Our focus is to reach the children that have been ostracised by the society and sometimes neglected by their families

How to get involved
1. Become our partner. Learn more
If you would like to explore how you could partner with us to improve lives of children with special needs and their families, we are happy to hear from you.

Institutions, Foundations and Trusts
We are looking for institutions, foundations and trusts that we could partner with to meet our targets.
We are looking for universities that we could work with to carry out research in this neglected area in the community.
We are looking for primary and secondary schools and post-secondary institutions not only to advance the Naweza cause but also to widen the social horizon of the young people. Download a copy of Naweza Initiative and School Partnership Brochure.
2. Become our volunteer. Learn more
A volunteer can be a student who wants to develop skills, a retired person who wants to give back, a professional or any other person who just wants to make a contribution in this rewarding but neglected area.
Volunteers will be engaged in awareness raising and advocacy about Naweza work.
If you are kind, hard-working and committed to the Naweza cause, join us to make a difference.

There are several volunteer opportunities: NEEDS BRUSHING

1. Share your skills
We are urgently pooling a group of skilled volunteers to offer their time and expertise to our cause. By saving us time and money, you will help to reach many children and their families.
Urgently need someone skilled in conducting research to prepare educational materials and getting facts about these children and their families in selected areas.
We need doctors, therapists, teachers, counsellors, religious leaders, IT specialists, farmers, play specialists and all other professionals.
We urgently need people to help with preparation of visual resources for local resource for non-verbal children education campaign materials.
Preparation of campaign materials: Campaign videos or DVDS (see example), Posters or placards, Banners and flyers, Campaign T-shirts and caps Campaign merchandise gifts e.g., pens, mugs, Websites or web articles

2. Fundraise for us.
You can unite your community or your family members, friends and do some fundraising for us.
We need teachers, occupational therapists, speech therapists, behavioural therapists, physiotherapists.
3. Donating. Learn more


3. Donating


Your donation will empower families especially donations towards long- term impact will have a multiplier effect.

a. DONATE TOWARDS LIVELIHOODS

Provision of knowledge and skills training
Providing a sewing machine
Donating livestock to farmers (goats, sheep, cows)
Providing a loan without interest to families who are committed to changing their lives.

Examples of
Provision of seeds, tools and training to rural farmers
Provision of skills in mushroom growing
Provision of skills in soap making

b. DONATE TOWARDS EDUCATION
Sponsor teachers’ training
Provide scholastic materials
Donate towards provision of augmentative alternative communication
Sponsor a child
Provide play equipment
Provide a tent to cater for a mobile library
Build a vocational training Centre for children with disabilities.

c. DONATE TOWARDS ADVOCACY AND AWARENESS RAISING
Donate towards setting up a drama group to promote rights of children with special needs.
Support sports training
Support establishing a drama group/ song by children for disability awareness. Organise leadership skills training workshop for children to self-advocate for their rights.
Sponsor preparation of disability awareness materials for hospitals /schools We urgently need a home, a place where we can hold capacity training sessions for parents, vocational training activities for the children, play activities and providing respite for the parents.

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