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Thursday, June 4, 2015
Sure Prospects School
Today we got the awesome opportunity to travel to Sure Prospects School. Sure Prospects is a school for kids both with and without disabilities, be it a mental, physical or learning disability. Around 500 students attend this primary school, 173 of them having disabilities. The school is run by an incredible man named Francis Kamuhanda, who has a disability himself. After college, Francis noticed how shunned the disabled population of Uganda was. A lot of children born with disabilities are locked away and never let outside their homes, if they're lucky enough not to be killed. He opened a school that would benefit kids from all over Uganda with disabilities, and eventually opened his doors to students without disabilities as well. Francis and his team of educators help to educate kids and give them hope for a future, and to make them feel like accepted members of society. For every three kids who aren't disabled, there's one student who is, and you can really see how much the children all help each other out. They were all so excited to see us, and loved taking pictures with our cameras and seeing themselves on screen. Drake put together a soccer team who played the Sure Prospects team, and wow did Drake have to put up a fight! We brought the students bubbles, jump ropes, and calculators...all of which they loved. It was a really wonderful to hear how passionate Francis is about what he does. He makes sure not only all of his students get a good education and have bright futures, but also that his teachers are well educated in teaching students with disabilities. The school still faces challenges however, including water accessibility, lack of funds, and the lack of support from the government. Hopefully in the future the school can expand so Francis can expand his amazing school and help educate and provide a future to kids with disabilities.
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If there was a man who could receive the award for being the most gracious, hard working, and driven man, Francis would receive it hands down. Each and every one of his students at the school show so much potential and ingenuity. I held a conversation with a child who had a hearing impairment. This child stuck around with me the entire day. Seeing his face light up as we walked around was wonderful, and it taught me why helping others is important. You never know the difference you can make in someone's life. However, another thing I learned is that I need to workout more. During the soccer game with the kids, I counted about 3 times I could have passed out. They were running back and forth as I was winded underneath a shade tree. These kids all have bright futures ahead of them.
ReplyDeleteWow! It sounds like an incredible, life enriching experience. What an amazing school and Francis an person. What a gift to see his dreams come true.
ReplyDeleteWe are very lucky to have Sure Prospects as a partner. Francis is amazing! He embodies what it means to serve the greater good, we should all follow his example. He is a perfect example of how one person can have a positive influence on so many lives.
ReplyDeleteThis school is literally a gift from God. No other words can appropriately describe how beautiful what Francis is doing is. I love how focused he is on integrating the children with disabilities into their community, and how he teaches the "able bodied" children to treat the children with disabilities as their equals. By doing such work, Francis is creating a small population of Uganda who is not prejudice against those with disabilities. Though this barely makes a dent in the prejudice attitude most people in Uganda have toward those with disabilities, it is a great start.
ReplyDeleteI am very amazed with Francis and think the things that he is doing are just incredible. The staff at Sure Prospects is doing so much to help disabled youth and seeing the smiles on everyone's face made the experience that much better. Who would have ever thought a bunch of primary school kids would school some college guys! It's safe to say that was one of my favorite days here in Uganda.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone, Francis is a pretty amazing guy, the work that he does is incredible. It was also one of my favorite days as well. The kids were so sweet and overjoyed that we were there. A couple of the girls braided my hair and they were so passionate about it, it is awesome that they have so much enthusiasm. The young men that played soccer with us were incredible! I was impressed with how good they are for their age. The entire day was a ton of fun and I will never forget that experience.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all the previous comments. This day was so powerful and inspiring and was definitely one of my favorites. Without Francis and his dedication to helping children with disabilities, many of these kids would have never gotten access to an education. During my time at Sure Prospects I was continually smiling and having fun. Just talking with some of the older girls was fascinating. They are so knowledgeable about current events and they wanted to know a million things about the United States. I think that integrating both children with disabilities and children without is the best thing Francis could have done when creating his school. Not only do they get to learn from another, it helps to lessen the cultural stigma associated with disability. Children without disabilities will grow up side by side with those who do have disabilities and therefore will learn to be sensitive to this issue and realize there is more to a person than a disability. I hope that all these children have access to great opportunities in their future because they truly are amazing humans.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea what to expect from this day but it turned out to be one of my favorite days of the trip. I had so much fun interacting with all of the students. Francis's vision and passion for this school is truly amazing and i know it won't stop at sure prospects. Playing the soccer game with all the kids was such a blast. I never thought someone half of my size and age could make me and the some other guys look so foolish on the soccer field. To see how happy that game made the students of that school was awesome.
ReplyDeleteVery well put Margo! I think I speak for many of us when I say that our visit to Sure Prospects was one of the best days of our entire journey in Uganda. Francis has done some incredible work with these intelligent children. There are no words to express the amount of passion that this man has for people, especially children with and without disabilities. I was most impressed by the way he has been combating the stigma associated with disabled people in Uganda. Francis has gone above and beyond the typical duties of a school by working with the families of the disabled children to ensure that the child has a safe environment free of discrimination. Uganda and the rest of the world needs more people like Francis.
ReplyDeleteGod bless Mr Francis so much for his dedication to make the world a better place for children with special needs.
ReplyDelete