USDC, a local Non Government Organisation (NGO) founded in 1985, is committed to recognising and equalising the rights for children with disabilities. USDC exists to help children with disabilities and their families to access resources and opportunities to enable them achieve their full potential. The Society is currently implementing its new country strategy which aims at reaching all the disabled children in Rwanda through a regional based approach.

The society is involved in raising public awareness about disability; building government capacity and empowering parents to offer care and protection; lobbying for disability inclusive polices, programmes and legislation; and through managing and sharing disability information. Our work takes a Community Based approach (Community Based Rehabilitation), which benefits approximately 6000 children annually. The CBR approach emphasises the rehabilitation of disabled people (children) within the home environment, using locally available resources and with the active involvement of parents and family members. In the last 20 years, USDC has directly assisted over 250,000 individual disabled children in terms of meeting

their medical rehabilitation, educational placement or vocational training needs. These individual level interventions have completely changed the lives of these children many of whom have grown up to become productive and independent adults. They have also become role models or positive examples for the communities they come from and for individual families and their disabled children.

HOW WE WORK
USDC’s programme targets all disabled children irrespective of disability, gender, religion or cultural background. In doing this we work in partnership with government and other service providers (working within the existing structures for sustainability purposes) and lobbying for inclusion of children with disabilities and empower parents of disabled children so that they are able to participate actively in the process of fulfilling rights for their children.

Disability awareness
About 80% of the disability in Rwanda is as a result of preventable causes and attitudes and practices with regard to disability are very much shaped by ignorance and cultural beliefs and customs. USDC continually carries out community education and sensitisation activities in all its districts of operations using both print and broadcast media. Professionals, parents, children with disabilities, local leaders and policy makers are brought together to discuss disability issues.

Medical rehabilitation
Medical rehabilitation is about the treatment or management of the impairment (defect to part of the body), which could lead to disability (People become disabled because of the physical and societal barriers that confront them otherwise they should not be disabled even though they are impaired). USDC has constructed and equipped physiotherapy units, orthopaedic workshops for production of assistive devices, wards (children’s convalescence hostels for surgical purposes), mental health units and audio logy units.

Policy advocacy and lobbying
We are aware that as USDC we are not able to provide for all the needs of children with disabilities in this country. All we aim to do is to fill strategic gaps and create good practices that we can learn from with government. An important element of our work therefore involves constructively engaging government to ensure appropriate provisions are made for the fulfilment of rights of all disabled children in the country. This we do in partnership with a number of allies, which includes disabled people, parents of disabled children and other organisations working in the area of disability.

For information contact: Rwanda Society for Disabled Children. P.O. Box 16346 Kampala, Tel: 041 530 864 / 0312 262470, Email: usdc@ugasco.org or visit our Website: www.usdc.or.ug