From November 2022 to March 2023 I was allowed to work as a volunteer in a school in Busunju. Before that, I did my civilian service in an inclusion school near Graz, where I stayed for 2 more years. At the same time I studied movement and sports at the Karl-Franzens-University Graz. Afterwards I changed to the FH Joanneum Graz and studied physiotherapy.

In Uganda I was allowed to support the team of therapists as a physiotherapist. Until then I had never been to Uganda or Africa and the first impressions after my arrival were overwhelming. Armed security guards at gas stations, burning garbage piles on the roadsides and several children playing with old motorcycle tires or garbage. Uganda was also experiencing an Ebola outbreak during this time.

In Busunju I was warmly welcomed and allowed to be a part of this community for 4 months. The hospitality and helpfulness of my fellow workers made it very easy to settle in quickly. Many people in the village had not seen a white person live before, so I was a big attraction when shopping or walking through the nearby village.

My activities in Busunju can be roughly divided into 2 areas: The work at the inclusion school and the work in the field, i.e. home visits in the villages. In the school itself live about 70 children with disabilities, who receive education and physiotherapy or occupational therapy, in the surrounding villages I also cared for about 15 children, who are cared for at home with their families. In order to reach them, I drove together with a social worker with a small motorcycle from house to house. The gratitude of the families of affected children was enormous. We were always warmly welcomed and after the therapy we often received gifts in the form of home-grown bananas or avocados and other fruits and vegetables.

During my time in Uganda there were some challenges therapeutically. Lack of medication or a limited selection of therapy materials often required a lot of creativity. The language barrier also presented a challenge, especially during home visits. In addition, the waiting time for wheelchairs, etc. is sometimes much longer than in Austria.

During my stay in Busunju, we were able to get several therapy materials such as Thera-bands, weights, balance boards and even a TENS unit. We also provided many children with hand or foot splints in addition to the therapy. Despite the challenges, some progress was also made. For example, a bedridden child who lives at home with his family was able to learn to sit freely, which means a great relief in handling for the parents and also a significant improvement in the child's participation in social life.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people with whom I was able to spend these 4 months. Through their openness and friendly interaction with me, these months flew by.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

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