Physical Therapy Training and Treating in Uganda

Dear Family and Friends,

     Greetings! I pray/hope that this letter finds you and your family well. I am now

finishing my second year of physical therapy school, and as I finish my training I

have been given an opportunity to go to Uganda for two weeks in June. According

to the Uganda Household Survey, 16% of its population lives with a disability and

90% of the children with disabilities do not access and/or enjoy their rights to

survival, development, protection, and participation (Uganda Society for Disabled

Children Report 2015). Although there are dozens of humanitarian organizations

in Uganda, very few exist (and even fewer are trained) to meet the needs of

physically disabled children and adults.

The purpose of the service trip to Uganda is two­fold. The main reason is to partner with local leaders and advocacy groups (Legal Action for Persons with Disabilities, LAPD) to provide training and collaborate in the treatment and management of people/children with disabilities.

Founding members of our closest partners, LAPD, are attorneys with disabilities who established their law and advocacy practice in 2005. Their determination, in part, was the product of barriers that they, themselves, overcame. We are collaborating with LAPD and their partner organizations to help provide opportunities to help meet the physical and educational needs that exist in these communities. Time is spent at two boarding schools for children with disabilities, where we collaborate with their teachers and caregivers to treat, train, and equip children for better life outcomes. Additionally, we partner with local physicians and nurses to help run free primary care clinics for the underserved. I’ll be able to utilize my physical therapy and differential diagnosis skills to assist in the management of care in the rural areas of Uganda.

The trip is being funded through donations and by some fundraisers through next spring. I am asking that you would consider a donation, as the trip will cost around $3800. Any amount will be appreciated.

I thank you in advance for your prayers for your consideration in participating with and contributing to our team and our efforts. May God bless you richly!