Masindi Centre

for the Handicapped

Background

Today the Masindi Centre for the Handicapped (MCH) is a boarding school situated nine miles out of Masindi town, on a hillside surrounded by beautiful countryside looking out towards the Blue Mountains of the Congo. When MCH was started in the early 1980s, the picture was very different. Livingstone Barongo started the school in just one room for about 20 children with different handicaps..

The provision for handicapped children in Uganda at this time was practically nil; such children being hidden away from village life with tremendous stigma and shame for the family. Very few received love, support and enough food, never mind an education. Livingstone Barongo was such an exceptional man to begin the school and against incredible odds has played an important role in developing MCH to its present level.

The first visit to MCH by FOAG members was in 1988 and from then onwards, the centre has received financial support from FOAG to help towards staffing and running costs, and specific projects.

At present there are about 117 pupils with a variety of handicaps such as deafness, physical handicap from polio or cerebral palsy. The emphasis is on appropriate education and vocational training (for earning potential) so that re-integration into family and village life is a real possibility with skills such as knitting, sewing, computer operating, agricultural and woodworking.. The school tries to involve and work with the families of pupils so that they are involved in the life of their child and proud of any skills learned while living in the centre.

Livingstone Barongo is still actively engaged as the Chairman of the Centre. Eseri Kaifi is the present Headmistress, she leads a dedicated team of teaching and ancillary staff (45 in all). They work towards the ethos of the school which is to develop each child to its maximum potential.

Support for MCH from FOAG

Financial support for teaching and ancillary staff salaries.
Financial support for staff training, e.g. 35 staff had training in sign language in 2004-05.
Funding for new dormitories, staff accommodation and latrines.
Providing water storage tanks and rainwater harvesting.
Providing mains electricity distribution.
Providing computers and ancillary equipment for teaching and accounting, plus technical advice.
Advice and help to develop produce from the centre’s farm.
Providing furniture, mosquito netting and covered mattresses for dormitories.

Sources of Funding for MCH from FOAG

FOAG general funds through Associate Membership and events.
Rotary clubs in Districts 1110 and 1060 (Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and West Midlands) through clubs such as Nailsea, Hagley and Worcester, Stourbridge, www.stourbridgerotary.org.
Very importantly from the local Rotary Club of Masindi and the Kinyara Sugar Company who have both been vital for projects to be undertaken and completed.
Individual donations.

Future Plans for MCH

Plans for future help from FOAG have been identified by the school.

To develop a treelot – about 3000 trees to be planted to provide a sustainable source of firewood for use in the school kitchens. At the moment it costs about £15 per week to buy enough wood for the needs of the centre.
To improve the kitchens by (a) building an extra shelter and (b) by buying more efficient stoves with chimneys to clear smoke from the working area and burn more efficiently.
To extend the dormitory provision for girls who are presently living in overcrowded accommodation.
The building of more latrines for extra hygiene facilities for staff.
The purchase of more computer back-up facilities and power failure packs.
The development of more home produced food such as market garden crops, and eggs.

The list is endless.

The MCH is a shining example to the rest of Uganda of how well a centre for the handicapped can be run, in fact the Government has named MCH a centre of excellence and a lead for others in the field to follow.

Further information on the Masindi Centre for the Handicapped can be obtained from Jan McConville 01384 378431 or Val Clark 01562 883487.

Project Cordinator: Jan McConville

Jan is a retired Business sector Bank Manager and is involved with several projects as their Treasurer. She first started to work with FOAG in 1997 and joined the Committee in 2003. She regularly travels to Uganda and has visited all of the Projects as part of the Project Monitoring Teams.