Uganda

HI works with refugees with specific needs, such as people with disabilities, older people, single mothers with children or unaccompanied children, and facilitates their access to services in the refugee camps. As many of them have witnessed traumatic events or suffered severe shocks, our teams provide psychosocial support in the form of individual or group sessions and other mental health services. They also train care professionals to meet these needs.

In refugee camps, where access to healthcare is difficult, HI’s teams provide physical rehabilitation services to help people with disabilities gain greater independence. In particular, they distributes mobility aids (walking sticks, wheelchairs, etc.) and run an innovative project to produce prostheses and orthoses using 3D printers. These made-to-measure devices enable people to regain their mobility. The 3D project is being closely monitored, the aim being to extend it to other countries in the region.

Our teams also work with refugee children to promote education services and ensure that children with disabilities can attend school. They train teachers in inclusive teaching methods, distribute school materials adapted to the children's needs and run awareness-raising sessions in the communities. They are also developing early childhood projects for very young children with disabilities or at risk of developmental delay. These projects involve supporting the children's parents and relatives and training them in good care and educational practices.

Finally, HI’s programme is active in the field of sexual and reproductive health, raising young girls' awareness of their rights and teaching them good menstrual hygiene practices. Our teams trains community and health workers to take these issues into account. More broadly, HI works with other organisations and actors in Uganda, training them in disability issues and thus working to ensure that the needs of people with disabilities and vulnerable people are included in all actions undertaken in the country.