Esperanza Initiative on Disability (EID)-Uganda

Accelerating persons with disabilities' equitable access to education through elevation of physical accessibility to infrastructure, challenging community gender stereotypes, stigmatization, stereotyping and prejudice in and out of schools

In Jinja(Busoga sub Region),many persons with disabilities most especially (Children, young women and girls) find WASH Facilities at schools inaccessible/unfriendly and it demoralizes them to ask peers to support them to access toilets,urinals,bathrooms,watersources thus scaring them away from schools.PWDs(Children and YWGDs) still find a challenge of societal and gender barriers(Myths and misconceptions, negative attitudes, superstitions). 

The EID’s disability inclusive solutions will support SDG4 for quality education and SDG6 for clean water and sanitation.EID-Uganda will prioritize diability inclusion including ensuring inclusive WASH facilities and latrines at schools and also challenge gender norms and community attitudes towards persons with disabilities. This will include clear path to WASH facilities without stairs or steps, establishing safe water sources free of obstructions. Teachers will be sensitized on inclusion, caregivers/guardians/parents of PWDs,learners and the community members to raise awareness on persons' with disability rights to education and human rights.

EID-Uganda will conduct a baseline survey to inform project Earned Value Management(to measure and compare a project's performance with its baseline).We shall organize training workshops for senior teachers in detecting early warning signs of violence in and out of school,train learners (PWDs)in human rights,GBV,advocacy and inclusive education, conduct media awareness campaigns on inclusive education integrated with WASH.

In Jinja, 86 schools have enrollment 34860 for girls and 33791 enrollment for boys. Only 73 schools have drinking water in school premises, 81 schools have separate toilet block for girls, 59 is the girls latrine stance ratio, 83 schools have separate toilet block for boys, 73 schools have hand washing station for children, 66 schools have menstrual hygiene management system, 78 schools have active health clubs, 55 schools have trained WASH teachers, 52 schools have trained senior man teachers, 61 schools have trained senior woman teacher. In addition, indigenous people in our region value much superstitions, gender stereo types and keep clinging on myths and misconception thus negative towards persons with disabilities. This affects about 3,434 (5%) learners with disabilities. This is because UNICEF report (2014) reflects that only 5% of PWDs access education through inclusive schools.

lack of comprehensive national and district wide data and
costed plans on WASH in schools aligned to the SDG6 indicators and NDPIII
make it difficult to plan for the required investments and interventions. In addition failure to prioritizing issues that affect education system in Uganda during budgeting and planning processes is still challenging as much of the money is allocated to other departments living education aside. Furthermore, corruption has suffocated development in Uganda as it is evident that Uganda looses 20 trillion shillings per year in corruption (IGG corruption survey report Oct,2021) thus lack of funds to redress education needs. 

The project will directly impact learning of learners with with disabilities. Girls with disabilities,are often not able to attend school because they do not have access to a toilet,which makes it impossible to make it through a full school day–especially for girls who are menstruating.It also makes it hard for them to have safe drinking water through the day once the water they have carried from home and it influences learners to leave school before time. 

Disability inclusive WASH at school will help children with disabilities attend and stay in school.The project will ensure that WASH facilities and latrines at selected schools are disability friendly.This include facilities without stairs or steps,free of obstructions,and with handrails for support where necessary.Sanitation facilities will include the following: guiding handholds and rails for those with visual impairments;enough space inside for a wheelchair user to enter,turn,close the door and park by the toilet;a door wide enough for a wheelchair with enough space inside for wheelchair users to enter,turn close the door and park by the toilet;a door handle and seat that are within reach of children using wheelchairs or crutches/sticks.The proposed solution seeks to support 13schools with disability friendly safe water sources,elevate the 25existing latrines following the accessibility standards,support 5schools with menstrual hygiene management system,establish hand washing facilities in 6schools,form and orient health clubs for 8 schools,train 25teachers to work as health focal point persons,train 34 male and 25 female (senior women and men) in inclusive education/WASH,conduct sensitization to raise awareness on inclusive education/WASH.

we have been able to have discussions with the District health team informally and heads of schools on one on one basis. We have also read, internalized and utilized data from the National Micro Planning Handbook for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Public Primary and Secondary Schools in Uganda to inform prioritization during drafting of the solution.  We have also read and understood the STEP-BY-STEP ACTIONS TO REACH

THE NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR WASH IN SCHOOLS (WinS) IN LINE WITH THE THREE STAR APPROACH (TSA) FIRST EDITION // 2020 which will also be utilized during implementation. We have also read and wish to embrace accessibility standards which will be utilized during construction or modification of physical infrastructure at selected schools. The book published by UINCEF in the name of "Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools

National Standards in Uganda will" also informed our solution. 

In addition, we are partnering with Jinja district local government and other organisations which informed us more about challenges faced by learners in access to education and water, sanitation and hygiene both in and out of school.

I individually also have personal experience in disability inclusion having worked with a disability organisations for two years not only as the gender, advocacy and communications officer but also as an implementer in the field so i have real touch and feel of what persons with disabilities go through both in the community and in institutions.

Children with disabilities have the same rights as any other child, including the right to to clean water, hygiene and sanitation, but they may also have
specific needs and it is the responsibility of the WASH sector to meet the needs of ALL children, including children with disabilities. The SDGs explicitly include disability and persons with disabilities, so it is imperative to promote disability inclusion to ensure access to water and sanitation for all, including people with disabilities, by 2030. With over 884 million people lacking access to safe drinking water, and over 1 billion people without sanitation, making WASH more accessible for all by applying universal design principles benefits everyone in the community, including people with disability. Provision of safe, inclusive and accessible WASH will ensure everybody benefits from improved health outcomes, enhance the protection of people with disability, reduce the workload of families in care giving tasks and reduces the rate of acquiring and spreading of disease. It will reduce illness and injuries, as well as improve dignity and decrease stigma. 

The inclusive WASH proposed project will improve WASH accessibility and learners with disabilities stay in school and it will advance the fulfillment of the SDGs by ensuring sustainable and inclusive access to WASH. It will also Improve access to inclusive education through inclusive WASH and awareness campaigns will address community attitudes towards persons with disabilities. it will help learners with disabilities enjoy the school environment for them to stay in school.

We have tried having the similar solution in Masese Division-Jinja city in two schools but the organisation failed to accomplish it well due to limited funding. We modified some structures by adding accessibility ramps but did not successfully add handrails, the painting and other important features due to inadequate funds.

The project will utilize existing technologies which will be utilized to develop blue prints of the required modifications in line with the accessibility standards. 

The project will further embrace 

1. Hand pumps for drinking water.

2. Boreholes and drilling equipment for rural water supply.

3. Solar powered pumping.

4. Motorized and small piped systems.

5. Water tanks, Bricks, Cement and Sand

the project will also utilize modern and traditional media to sensitize the community on disability inclusive education and water, sanitation and hygiene. 

We are currently benefiting 1500 learners and the project will benefit 3500 directly and 5000 indirectly  children/learners with disabilities in the year 2022- May, 2023.

The impact goal is to enable PWDs be self reliant community members who fully contribute and participate in community development activities.

this will be achieved through empowering them with knowledge and skills equipped in them through fostering inclusive education as a tool of empowerment

Number of learners with disabilities with access to safe and affordable drinking water

number of female children with disabilities who will enroll to seek education and number of those who will consistently continue school

number of new children with disabilities enrolled after modification of the WASH facilities

number of PWDs referred to other education institutions for support

number of LWDs who are members of health clubs in schools

number of senior male and female teachers knowledgeable on inclusive education and WASH

Number of inclusive WASH facilities in selected schools

Inadequate funding to facilitate internal and external performers

inadequate guiding documents to guide team like manuals 

need for revising and updating the organisation strategic plan and strategies for the organisation 

The executive director has life experience given the fact that she is a person living with disability and she has implemented projects on disability inclusion before inclusive of the "Putting Persons with Disabilities at the Centre of Humanitarian Preparedness and Response: Building and strengthening capacities in the field of inclusive humanitarian action and inclusive disaster preparedness through active involvement of persons with disabilities" a project which was implemented seven years ago before the current one.

Kabaale Glibert (project lead) is a graduate with bachelor of mass communication has experience from ABH project as an advocacy coordinator, from RHITES-EC as project officer and from integrated disabled women activities as Gender, advocacy and communications officer and he has real feel of the life that PWDs experience.

Babirye Annet Luwambo is our programs manager and also a person with disability. She is a gender expert with experience in disability interventions. she has a bachelor of gender studies.

Julius Mulinda is the MEAL manager with a masters in statistics from makerere university and a postgraduate diploma in monitoring and evaluation from Uganda management institute.

Kumbuga Yusuf is our programs officer with a masters of public health, Bachelor of social work and postgraduate diploma in special needs psychology.

The finance manager (Sarah Babirye) has a bachelor of Accounting and finance and a postgraduate diploma in ACCA

We partner with Engaging education-Uganda to train teachers with basic skills in inclusive education and disability, we partner with Jinja district local government to authorize us to implement and also to offer us guidance with which interventions are needed. 

The prize will boost funding which will be utilized during the project implementation and also will increase the organisation and project visibility which will enhance chances of fundraising