Kindness in Kayanga

“Mr. Erici? Are you here, Mr. Erici?” – the Swahili-speaking custodian, grounds manager, watchman, and chicken-slaughterer called through our room door, adding the final “i” that is customary for adopted English words. “Yes, James, I’m here,” I said as I opened the door. He had brought a gift – one pineapple and one papaya – presumably because I gave him a small amount of antibiotic ointment (antibiotic-i) a few days ago when he nearly sliced his finger off. I’m sure the cut deserved stitches. I’m sure James is as deserving of basic health care as I am, but instead he’s left showing his thanks with gifts from his garden for a small amount of antibiotic ointment. The people of Kayanga (town), Karagwe (district), Kagera (region) are continuously kind and welcoming.

Earlier today I went with a small group of students to learn more about a regional outreach effort to support people with disabilities. In short, the challenges are these: people with disabilities have long been marginalized as presumed burdens; children with disabilities do not typically attend any school, because those with physical disabilities cannot manage to walk to school and those with mental disabilities have no support services; there is a severe problem with rape of women who have disabilities, along with ensuing pregnancies for women who may not be able to care for the children.

Into this sea of challenges steps a network of dynamic community-based organizations that are making real, if painfully slow, progress on each of these issues. Today we accompanied the Anglican-supported Karagwe Program for People with Disabilities on a village outreach visit. As a special treat, our group included Matthew Mcllvenna, Field Representative for Friends of the Children of Tanzania. Matt is currently on sabbatical from the UN and has been focusing on developing and supporting the networks that work with people with disabilities in this region.  

We drove out of Kayanga, past Omurushaka, onto the dirt roads, off of the energy grid, down continuously narrower dirt roads, until finally we reached the small village Catholic Church that was the center of outreach for the day. Word had spread, and more than thirty people with disabilities had found their way (walking, limping, otherwise moving over miles) to the site. The day began with a prayer – inviting Muslims and Christians to pray as they wished for one another. Immediately after that ecumenical beginning our female facilitator, Upendo, asked the group what they had learned during a previous visit.

Their answers were quick and compelling, “people with disabilities are fully human; people with disabilities deserve equal treatment; people may be born with or may develop disabilities; disability may result from old age…” The answers continued for several minutes. After this educational outreach, the triaging began. The visit focused not on care but on connecting people with the appropriate services. Several people were recommended for treatment by Dr. Angelo, the orthopedic doctor and physio-therapist at the hospital in Bukoba.

Each individual patient’s story was extraordinarily compelling, and their challenges include not only their physical ailments but also the need to pay for transportation to the hospital and to afford food during their stay. I’ll share specific stories as students summarize them in their journals.

And now  a few photos courtesy of Shannon Wheatley Hartman. They are as follows: a Kayanga Village Street (near where we're staying), local entrepreneur and friend Peter Lazaro explaining his screen printing business to us, and WOMEDA Director Juma Massisi sharing information about Women's Rights in the region.