Difasi’s storyNine yearold Difasi lives in a small village in Uganda and has been blind from birth. He used to go to school with his six brothers and sisters but didn’t get any special support to help him learn. Difasi had to drop out because his parents were struggling to pay the school fees for all their children.

“I live on a small plot of land with my family. We grow coffee and potatoes. We used to grow bananas but the crops got diseased, so we have less money now.

Every day, in the morning, I wash my face and go to dig on the land with my father. I also help to carry water and peel vegetables for the family.

In the afternoon I look after the cows and wait for my friends to come home from school.

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I like to play football with them and jumping and running games. Fred and Soka are my best friends; they always look out for me when there are fights with other boys.

I feel sad and lonely at home without them. I have always had very low vision. Once my mother took me to try and get medical help in a nearby town, but there was no doctor so we didn’t go back. I would love to go to school so that one day I can be independent. Sometimes I go, but I’m usually sent away as I can’t pay the school fees. I dream that in the future I will ride a motorbike and have the chance to become a doctor.”

57 million children are still missing out on school and one in three have a disability.

Join the world’s biggest education campaign and support every child’s right to go to school.www.sendmyfriend.org This project is funded

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Abdi’s story

Abdi’s uncle says, “Abdi’s father had to go to work in the city and left him in my care. He felt it was better to leave Abdi in the village where everyone is very fond of him. In the city Abdi would have had to stay home all day but here he can wander around, walk to school and play football with the other children.

Abdi started to get convulsions when he was about two years old. We took him to a doctor who prescribed medication to make the seizures less frequent.

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Abdi tries to go to the local primary school every day but there are many days when he can’t go. Because of his problem he hasn’t progressed very well and is still in Primary Two with pupils who are as young as six.

Abdi is 12 years old and lives with his uncle in northern Nigeria. He has epilepsy and often has to miss school because he suffers from seizures. Abdi has difficulty talking but his Uncle Abdullah understands him very well.

I think he would be better off in a school for special needs, but there isn’t one nearby. The teacher here has nearly 40 pupils in her class so she can’t give him the attention he requires and she hasn’t been trained to understand his condition.

Abdi loves to go to school and often tries to tell his brother what he has learnt. He is a special boy but needs special care. I hope we can persuade the government to look after Abdi in the way he deserves.”

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57 million children are still missing out on school and one in three have a disability.

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Lucy’s storyLucy lives in Kisumu in western Kenya. She contracted polio when she was very young which affected her right leg. Lucy would love to go to school but is unable to make the journey there because of her disability.

“My name is Lucy and I am eleven years old. When I was younger I fell sick and was taken to the hospital. They told me I have a disability as a result of suffering from polio. My right leg is affected and cannot straighten, but the left is ok.

When I wake up in the morning, I clean the house, wash the dishes and make tea for all of us. I light the fire for my parents, eat, pray and rest. In the afternoon, I bathe my brother and myself and go out to play ball and bottle top games.

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I don’t go to school because there is no way I can get there: I would have to be carried and my mother is busy on the farm. I wish I could learn to read like my friends.

If I did, after finishing school I could become a teacher or doctor and help support my family.”

Lucy’s mother Jane says:“I would like Lucy to go to school so that she can be independent one day. I don’t see disabled pupils in the school so I don’t know if they would admit her even if I could get her there. If Lucy doesn’t go to school her life will be very difficult.”

www.sendmyfriend.org

57 million children are still missing out on school and one in three have a disability.

Join the world’s biggest education campaign and support every child’s right to go to school.This project is funded

by the European Union.

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“If world leaders are serious about getting an education for EVERY CHILD by 2015 they must prioritise the needs of children with disabilities NOW.”

57 million children are still missing out on school and one in three have a disability.

Join the world’s biggest education campaign and support every child’s right to go to school.

on school.

disabilities

www.sendmyfriend.orgThis project is funded by the European Union.

Ade Adepitan broadcaster, Paralympic medallist and disability campaigner.