Reshaping the Narrative of Children with Disabilities in Uganda
Hello December 8th, 2023
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Have you ever experienced the feeling of being an outsider in a new group? Or the deep sense of loneliness, with no one to lean on? This is a daily reality faced by many children with disabilities in Uganda, not just in unfamiliar environments, but even within their own homes. In Uganda, an estimated 2 million children live with disabilities. These children face daunting challenges such as discrimination, isolation, and lack of access to medical services–even in their own families, these children can be treated like outcasts. Due to the struggles and hardships that these families endure and the culture surrounding children living with disabilities, it is not uncommon for parents to say that they have three children, plus an additional one with a disability. This outcast mentality can put these children at risk of being orphaned, abandoned, and even trafficked.
"My child is a burden, and they have no place in my family...I have three kids, but one doesn’t count.”
At the Tim Tebow Foundation, we believe every child is a valued and worthy image-bearer of God. Communicating this message is especially important in countries like Uganda, where culturally there is a negative stigma surrounding disability that is far from hope and acceptance.
Even parents, often overwhelmed by the perceived burden of raising a child with disabilities, inadvertently contribute to the stigma. But imagine if we could fuel the change of that reality. What if we could contribute to reshaping the narrative - to highlight the inherent value of these children as God’s image-bearers and that they were, in fact, made for a greater purpose?
This is why we work closely with Ekisa Ministries so we can provide life-changing resources to children with disabilities in Uganda who are often seen as “less than.” Our hope and prayer at TTF is that all those living with disabilities will come to know the transforming power of Christ’s love for them and experience belonging not only in their own families but also in their community.
Ekisa Ministries was one of the inaugural host locations for TTF’s Night to Shine, a worldwide prom night for people with special needs. Since then, this strategic partnership has helped us grow our ministry to provide essential resources and support for families who have a child with a disability in Uganda. In 2021, together we opened the Ekisa Tebow Community Care Center in Iganga, which currently serves 50 children and families on a regular basis. This center offers hope to families through social work services, parent education, medical support, and therapy. The goal is to equip parents with the knowledge and tools they need to effectively care for their children with disabilities, and, ultimately, to become advocates for their children.
As we expand our reach to bring hope to these precious families, we have seen the need increasing. We are committed to strengthening our partnership with Ekisa by working together to build a new campus in Jinja that will continue to communicate the inherent worth and value of all those living with disabilities.
The campus will have a new Community Care Center that will serve as a space for up to 75 new families and children living with disabilities to receive medical care, counseling and therapy services. Additionally, this new campus will have several transitional, residential homes.
Here, 24 children will receive specialized care in a family-style environment while efforts for reunification and family permanency are pursued. The campus will also be home to a school that will provide education through a reverse inclusion model to 140 students. Through this model, barriers will continue to be broken and stigmas removed as students with disabilities are able to integrate into their community and receive education alongside their peers living without disabilities.
“By coming alongside them in some of their hardest and darkest moments, we are inviting them into a community that loves and cares for them. In those moments when they feel isolated and when alone, we're able to provide hope and encouragement that their disability is not inability.” Jared, Director of Ekisa Ministries
With the help of our TTF Giving Family, we can partner with Ekisa to build this new campus which will be an avenue to spread the message of God's love for every person, including children who are too often seen as worthless and their parents who often feel desperate and hopeless. This place will serve as a reminder that they are not isolated but are seen by so many people around the world as valued and worthy of love. TTF Family, will you not look away? Will you join us and make a lasting impact to families in Uganda? See Them.
