Uncovering Hidden Need in Central Tanzania
Learn about one of LWCF’s latest endeavors to help Children with Special Needs at Archbishop Mihayo University College at Tabora (AMUCTA) in Tanzania.
by Barbara Livieratos, Living Water Children's Fund BOD Member
Fall 2024 Newsletter Update
This past winter four LWCF board members escorted a group of audiologists from Hearing the Call, a US-based non-profit organization, along with staff members and students from Archbishop Mihayo University College of Tabora (AMUCTA). The concept was that children identified with hearing impairments would be followed up by the university staff and students. During our time together the AMUCTA group showed a great deal of compassion for all the children they encountered and were instrumental in getting medical attention for nine whose non-hearing-related needs seemed most pressing. Dr. Ildephonce Mkama, Head of Department of Special Needs Education, and John Lukonge, Technical Assistant, shared with LWCF members their dream of having a mobile unit to go into rural areas to identify children with special needs who were not attending school. LWCF director, Sherry Fine, told them that if they organized such a unit LWCF would pay for the transportation.
Dr. Mkama and Mr. Lukonge organized a group of ten. The team of experts included members of the academic staff from the Department of Special Needs Education and AMUCTA students who are training in various areas of disability. They made their first venture into rural areas outside of Tabora in May of 2024 and conducted a five-day home-based assessment in two wards. The team visited 21 families and evaluated 25 children. The special needs of these children included: physical disability, intellectual disability, visual impairment, hydrocephalous, autism, and multiple disabilities. Most of these 25 children are not attending school and need various levels of support. For other children, the team managed to resolve some issues that came to their attention in the field, such as assisting some families in dire poverty, performing ear irrigations, and for one family providing school supplies so a child could go to school.
Observations of the team revealed that the families of the 25 children are going through trauma, despair, social neglect, and family separations. A major obstacle to care for many is the lack of health insurance. Part of the team’s assessment of each child was estimating the cost for resolution or temporary relief of their situations. In addition to the common items of school fees and health insurance, other remedies included physiotherapy, wheelchairs, transfer to a special school, proper diet, and eye examinations. The total estimated cost to provide help for these children was 3,874,600 Tanzanian Shillings, or just over $1,440. A generous LWCF donor, Stephanie Feldman of Maryland, covered the entire cost. The team was able to deliver wheelchairs and other supplies to the families. The dream of the AMUCTA staff, the help from LWCF, and the contribution of Ms. Feldman all came together so that in a matter of months, change and relief was provided for these children with special needs and their families.
The AMUCTA team acknowledges that they have barely scratched the surface in uncovering unmet need. LWCF is committed to continue to provide help for this project that has the potential to transform the lives of children and families. The team’s goal is to visit each of the 29 wards in the Tabora region. They have been energized by their first field experience and are now planning their second visit to find the hidden children with disabilities.
Every child deserves a chance ❤️
Thanks to generous donations Living Water Children’s Fund has been able to help children with special needs receive the medical care and education they need.
Please consider donating to support other students at with special needs, as any gift, big or small, helps us on our mission to make sure children have their basic needs met so that they may flourish and grow.
