Breaking down the stigma around disability in Northern Uganda

For people living with disabilities, and those caring for them, support, advice and self-help groups can have a community-wide impact. Programme Funding Manager Sarah Williams recounts her recent experience visiting the ADIMAP project in Northern Uganda.

The tarmac roads to the remote village of Olinga in Northern Uganda soon ran out into rough dirt roads, then to small tracks, covered by long grass. The Ripple Effect Extension Workers I was with, Juliette and Louis, know this area well; they visit the community regularly and have built a close rapport with the families. Eventually, we came to a compound of huts and some chairs placed in the shade of a lime tree for our visit.

We met Quinto, a smallholder farmer who is part of the ADIMAP project. He spoke about the difficulty he’d had with his severely disabled son, Idi, and how in the past he thought he had been cursed to have him. Before the project, he struggled to care for Idi, particularly when he and his wife were on the farm. However, Juliette has since provided advice and training.