September 2026 circular: News from Salama school for the blind, and updates on a number of children It will soon be four years since the devastating dormitory fire at Salama school for blind children when eleven young girls lost their lives. We had helped some years before in the development of the school but since those early years our involvement had been minimal although I was always interested to hear of progress there. When I informed people here about the fire, a number responded generously. We couldn't take on a big project alone but when a major Ugandan company offered to cover building costs, we were able to get things under way by dealing with ground clearance, planning permission and various legal matters. The end result is a super new building, and a steady increase in pupil numbers. We were conscious that while there is now excellent provision for the girls (all Salama pupils are boarders) accommodation for the boys was inadequate in a very old building which was much too small. We had hoped that all the attention focused on the school and the new girls dormitory might eventually lead to better provision for the boys, so I was delighted to hear of the ground breaking ceremony for a new boys dormitory, the result of a partnership between the Ministry of Education and the Uganda People's Defence Forces Engineering Brigade. Acheru has maintained a connection with Salama and on their last outreach they worked with 65 children, and brought a lot of food and treats. Some of the beds in Acheru's recently completed CP unit which I hope will soon be fully occupied. It's intended to accommodate young children with Cerebral Palsy to work with them intensively as inpatients for a number of weeks or possibly months, as we hope this will be more effective than out patient clinics over a longer period. Report from Rose, our social worker: Meet JUWAYE NIYONGU a 1 year from Katosi village Mukono District brought to ACHERU with a complaint of folded short limbs. JUWAYE'S parents came to Uganda as refugees from Rwanda and settled around Lake Victoria. They do casual labour around the lake and rent a small house there for shelter. They came to Uganda with 3 only children and now they have 5. JUWAYE is last born for now. Mother says that "all my other children are normal, it's only him whom I gave birth to with a problem. For all our lives we have never seen such a condition. Ever since I gave birth to my baby, I have been crying. All the time I imagine his life with that disability I get scared. I don't know how he will manage to do his daily activities and which kind of work. How the world will treat him with his disabilities. We don't have money to make his life better because he needs a lot of devices for mobility. "I don't know how it will be when school time comes, whether he be included in normal schools or need a special school with special care. We tried taking him to a hospital near our village but we were told they can't help him. Some people around our village told us that he is going to be like that for the rest of his life, and this breaks my heart. Some told us to consult big hospitals which work on bones but we don't have money to travel to Kampala where they are. I have been hiding my boy for so long as some people see him and mock him. "But one day I was going somewhere and I met a good person in a taxi who saw my boy and became so concerned about his legs. At first I didn't want to say much about my boy's situation but the person was very friendly and so open. They shared with me a story about their daughter who had curved feet and was treated. I was told that ACHERU is a good place where they help Children with disabilities. It took me a while after getting contacts to reach ACHERU because I was looking for transport. "I pray God help my son to grow well and find help he needs to live a comfortable life". Acheru was investigating possibilities for surgery and treatment, and Juwaye was due to be brought back to discuss the options. Unfortunately his mother failed to keep the appointment. We know she was eager to have her son's problems addressed but somehow she has been deterred and it falls to the community team to try to find them. This problem isn't uncommon. I've written many times of the difficulties faced by a disabled child and the obstacles placed in their path which can prevent intervention for many years, causing prolonged suffering and making any eventual treatment much more difficult. Thankfully in this case there seems to be a simpler explanation, contact was made with a relative and we were told his mother couldn't afford transport so arrangements were made for his assessment. I have just heard that he is to be taken to CoRSU on 29th September where, if his father consents, his legs will be amputated. News of a former patient: This is TAMALE FRED, now seven years old, who came to ACHERU with a complaint of curved legs. There was no medical intervention before coming to ACHERU. Fred is staying with his grandmother after being abandoned by his mother at a very young age. Farming is the source of income at home. Grandmother says "I received him when 10 months, he was not walking by then and he started standing with support. His legs were curving a little and no one thought they will bend even more. As an adult I have seen many children with curved leg, including mine. But as they were growing the legs grew straight too. For him it did not happen, as he continued growing the legs curved even more. "We had no idea of taking him to the hospital because we had never heard that such conditions could be treated. Whenever I walked with him or started meeting people they told me that there is help for such children to get better. I was always being directed to Acheru by many people, so I decided to give it a try. "I was so glad for the warm welcome I received from the people of Acheru. We were given special care and treatment. Me personally I was so scared of the surgery but they took us through good counselling and all my worries were reduced. "All the time I was giving up, ACHERU team visited us continuously and this gave me courage. Today my grandson is so fine, the legs are longer curved. Right now I can't pass a disabled child without telling them about ACHERU and where it is located. "THANK YOU SO MUCH ACHERU, GOD BLESS YOU" Written by NAKABUGO ROSE I recently reported on Denis whose legs were severely deformed. Correction will take place in stages, but the first operations have been successful, enabling him to stand unaided for the first time. Further surgery will be taking place soon. You can imagine the difference this will make for him. What we want to see at Acheru. Happy faces! Many of you will remember Mubarak, paralysed in a fall, losing both legs, and spending a very long time at Acheru, interspersed with spells in hospital to deal with persistent and dangerous infections. I was never optimistic about him being able to return home, the most we could hope for being short visits, but in fact he has now been back with his family for some time. He didn't seem to have much hope for the future, but the Acheru community team keeps in touch and I was delighted to hear that he is now training as a shoe repairer. This will help occupy his time, and enable him to earn some money as such skills are in demand.