On the road to school with Anai
Before, Anai’s father had to carry her to school. Today, with the help of Humanity & Inclusion and the support of her family, she can manage on her own.
Anai is happy; she can go to school every day now. | © A. Beaujolais / HI
A precarious existence
Anai Nyang is a 12-year-old refugee. In 2013, her family fled the conflict raging in Southern Sudan to seek refuge in Rhino Camp, in northwestern Uganda. Anai was born with a congenital vertebral malformation known as spina bifida. Despite very early treatment, the malformation has had serious consequences for her health: Anai cannot walk, has no control over her bowels or bladder and has lost some of her learning capabilities.
Her family is very poor, and although her parents are devoted to her, they struggle to pay for the care she needs.
“Anai needs us all the time. So we can't work, because otherwise there would be no one to help her. It's difficult to pay for medical care and cover our food costs. Anai needs to eat eggs and fruit regularly to stay healthy, but we can't afford to buy them”, her father tells us, despondently.
Going to school, a real challenge
In 2019, a charity gave Anai a wheelchair. Unfortunately, the wheelchair was not suitable and very quickly became damaged to the point where it was completely unusable. So, for the young girl to go to school, the only solution was for her father to carry her. The school is more than 3 km from their home... a long and arduous journey.
“I had to stop four times along the way to find some shade and rest. As my daughter needs help every three hours with her bowels and bladder, I had to take her home several times a day. If she isn't looked after properly, she feels uncomfortable and can't concentrate on her lessons”, explains her father.
Despite his best efforts, Anai's father could only take her to school three times a week. The other two days, the young girl had to stay at home. She loved going to school, so this was a very hard for her. Sitting in the courtyard or in bed all day was unbearable for her and her parents felt helpless watching their daughter’s distress.
Support from family members and HI
In 2023, HI began to support Anai and her family. Every week, a physiotherapist and an occupational therapist visited their home. They sat her in a highchair and helped her do exercises to strengthen her leg muscles. HI also provided her with a new wheelchair in her size, an adapted toilet seat and school equipment. Anai practised using her new books, pencils and pens in the highchair to develop her learning capabilities.
Anai's parents are very dedicated and want to learn all they can to support their daughter to the best of their ability. HI’s teams have taught them exercises to do with Anai to help her become stronger, more mobile and improve her ability to concentrate.
They never imagined that her health would improve so dramatically!
Back to school
With her new wheelchair, Anai can now go to school every day, much to her delight. Her father and siblings accompany her, but they no longer have to carry her.
“I like school because I love learning and the teachers are all very nice. My favourite subject is English. I love making new friends,” explains Anai, happily.
Anai is in second year of primary school. She is the only wheelchair user in the school, but she can access most areas without help. Although most of her classmates are very nice, Anai hasn't forgotten how some of them used to make fun of her... Fortunately, she has a lot of support from her teachers, who have been trained by HI and its partners – ZOA Uganda, Norwegian Refugee Council and Transcultural Psychosocial Organization Uganda – to give her the best possible support in class. They make sure that she can sit in the front row and that there is enough space between the rows for her to move around.
When she's not at school, Anai keeps busy by knitting or watching other children play football. Her parents encourage her to write, read and draw and are pleased to see her efforts paying off.
‘Our family is poor. Without HI's help, we wouldn't have been able to afford her treatment or the wheelchair. We have learnt how to help our daughter to become stronger. The change has been spectacular. Today, I can see that Anai is happier and more fulfilled,’ says her father.
HI's inclusive education project was set up on the Rhino Camp, Nakivale Settlement and Palabek Settlement refugee sites. It was funded by Education Cannot Wait. HI trained the other members of the consortium in inclusive education and inclusion and provided rehabilitation care for children living in the refugee camps.
