Africa-Press – Uganda. Ms Dorothy Nambi, a counsellor and special needs teacher, has scooped an autism hero award from Anna Kennedy, an on-line charity, in recognition of her outstanding achievement in restoring hope in children living with autism.
Autism is a neurological development disorder that affects children in speech and social interaction.
Ms Nambi, a mother of a child living with autism who doubles as the executive director of Duna Centre Home of autism in Kampala, received the award at a ceremony held in London, United Kingdom last Saturday.
Speaking in a telephone interview on Wednesday, Ms Nambi, whose centre now houses 30 children with autism and down syndrome, described the award as a motivation to create more awareness and enable more children enjoy their rights just like any other child.
“I feel the pride that the message is reaching out to the world. I went to London, met colleagues with centres with so many children. This means that stigma in African is still making it hard for parents to come out and link these children to institutions where they can easily get access to services,” she said.
The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos) reports indicate that the prevalence of autism in Uganda is estimated at between 70 and 80 people per 10,000 people.
Ms Nambi, who has been looking after children with autism for the last 17 years, said since it is very expensive to take care of children with this condition, so both government and partners should work together to ensure children with autism are accepted and supported.
She said children living with autism often suffer stigma and discrimination, which deprives them of access to education, healthcare and community activities.
“When it comes to looking after them, it is quite expensive. Parents end up hiding children at home. Special education is not something simple. Not all of them are able to be included in the regular schools yet parents can’t afford the cost of services of private special needs education. Most of these children belong to single mothers who can’t afford the cost,” Ms Nambi said.
She, however, defended the high cost of special needs education saying the special care provided by specialists comes with a cost.
She believes that if all teachers could be trained in special needs education, children with disabilities will be able to access meaningful education from the regular schools.
Her plea is for well-wishers to stand by her as she walks the journey of restoring hope in children and parents of children with autism in rented premises.
Ms Nambi also stressed the need for mass sensitisation so the communities and parents support people living with autism.
She said before she quit her marriage, her husband used to beat their son with this condition accusing him of being stupid because he was a slow learner due to his condition.
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