At Options for College Success, we support students in this critical transition, while also giving parents and caregivers the ability to step back, as our team provides the supportive oversight and skills development necessary. This is key in helping the family let go of their worries, knowing that there is a stepping stone to ease the transition for the student. We are that stepping stone!
Please contact us for more information! We work with soon-to-be graduating high schoolers, as well as individuals 18 and older.
Admissions and Academics Coordinator, Kevin Holbrook
By Lelia Purky (Options for College Success Student) and Marjorie Nabumma
“The moment you start loving them, everything becomes easy.“
Marjorie Nabumma, my friend and a mother in Uganda with a child who has Cerebral palsy
–Marjorie Nabumma, mother and disability advocate, holds her beautiful adopted child, Devine, in Kampala, Uganda. Devine was abandoned as a baby because his birthparents couldn’t handle the disability. Disabled children are often abandoned in Uganda.
Lelia Purkey, a current student with Options for College Success, has always had a passion for learning about and advocating for the rights and accessibility of services for all individuals with disabilities. Lelia is currently focused on gathering qualitative data through interviews to better understand the rights and access for individuals with disabilities on an international level. Lelia gave us permission to share one of the most recent interviews she conducted and transcribed.
If you would like to hear more from Lelia, please visit optionsforcollegesuccess.org where you will find one of her videos from a past speaking engagement. We look forward to supporting the incredible work of this young woman, while finding more platforms for her to share her findings, insights, and advocacy.
My name is Lelia Purky and I am 22 years old. I live in America in the state of IL, and I was born with Cerebral Palsy. Life with CP can vary in difficulty and understanding throughout the world, and I just experienced that today. I have a dear friend, Marjorie Nabumma, who is the mother of a beautiful, sweet child named Divine. Marjorie lives in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, and I have found out that life is very different there for a child with CP or any disability than it is in America.
Today, I interviewed Marjorie with a couple of questions about what it is like in Uganda for someone who is differently abled. Here is our interview, and I hope it gives everyone reading it a deeper understanding and acceptance of those with disabilities.
LELIA: Where is Uganda located?
MARJORIE: Uganda is located in East Africa, and Kenya is our neighbor.
LELIA: How are disabilities perceived in Uganda?
MARJORIE: Disabilities in Uganda are viewed as a curse, but we are creating awareness now. Disabled children in Uganda have a much better chance at life in towns than in villages. In villages, disabled children are hidden away inside their houses, and some are abandoned. Divine was abandoned (Marjorie is not his biological mom. Before Marjorie began taking care of him, an old lady was).
LELIA: What services (i.e. OT, PT, speech) are available for Divine, and does the government help with those services?
MARJORIE: Government hospitals help with services such as physiotherapy (PT), which is free of charge. However, the services are not good… there is only a small amount of time given to help the disabled children. PT and other services last between fifteen, ten, or two minutes. There are a lot of special needs children, but not enough time is given for services in the government hospitals. In US dollars, PT costs around 15 to 20$. (in Ugandan Shillings—UGX—that is either 54,844.40 or 73,125.86). Very expensive.
LELIA: Does your family help care for Divine?
MARJORIE: No. I need someone to help me care for Divine—medications, basic care. I want to try and find some help. (No one is helping Marjorie out in Uganda as of right now).
LELIA: is the pandemic (COVID-19) affecting Devine’s care?
MARJORIE: It is very hard right now to find care for Divine… very hard for anyone with a disability during the pandemic even though the cases of COVID are low. Those with disabilities who have a weakened immune system have a higher chance of getting COVID.
LELIA: Is there are differently abled community in Uganda for Divine?
MARJORIE: Yes. J I started a group where kids with disabilities could come together in Uganda. The group meets at the beginning of each month. The group helps to build a sense of community and it builds courage. At the group, most of the parents come carrying their disabled children on their backs because there are no mobility aides. (Wheelchairs, crutches, etc.).
LELIA: Have you gotten help from anyone around the world?
MARJORIE: Yes. I got help globally to raise money for Divine’s hip surgery. He had a dislocated hip. The operation was successful, and the doctors fixed the dislocated hip.
LELIA: What do you hope for the future for kids who are disabled in Uganda?
MARJORIE: I hope that all disabled children across Uganda can have for the future someone to support them, give them mobility aides like wheelchairs, and provide medicine for them. This is because most of the parents of these children are single mothers who don’t work, so they can’t afford all the necessities they need for their children. There needs to be awareness of the disabled children in Uganda, and I want to start off by raising awareness in villages. This is because the disabled kids in villages are dying silently and are not taken care of. When I create awareness in the villages, I want to teach people how to love them. The moment you start loving them—everything becomes easy.
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