Report from Kisoro

Sylivia's Story

Sylivia is a 12 year old girl, who started at the deaf unit in 2001. Her deafness was caused by meningitis which attacked her when she was five years old. She lost her both parents and two uncles plus their wives through HIV/AIDS. She now lives with another uncle who is a widower of about 75 years.
Sylivia used to perform better in class in her first and second years before having to take on more responsibilities at home, such as cooking, cultivating, weeding and all sorts of domestic activities which are essential for survival. There is no one else to assist her with the domestic chores. She is happy and proud to be in the deaf unit and she likes the school, teachers, support staff and other children, especially those she can interact with using Uganda Sign Language (USL). She enjoys music, dance and drama, skipping, knitting, compound cleaning and scrubbing. As for her future plans, she would like to become a teacher for deaf children or a Pastor/Priest for the deaf community.

Muhire’s Story

Muhire Emmanuel is a 16 year old boy, the youngest of 7 brothers and 2 sisters. His home is about ½ km from the Uganda / Rwanda border. The cause of his deafness is believed to have been the noise from heavy artillery used in the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Muhire is hard of hearing and cannot utter a single word, communicating only by Sign Language. His parents are very old and do not know Sign Language. But fortunately one of his brothers has an interest in the language and he is the one who looks after Muhire. Muhire is one of cleverest boys in the whole school. He has now been promoted to P.4. He likes his teachers and is always asking them questions about anything which he doesn’t know! At school he also likes to play football, volleyball and he is an expert at draughts. At home Muhire looks after the crops in the garden and sometimes goes to graze his father’s cow. Muhire says that in the future he would like to go to University and become a doctor or an engineer.

Ivan’s Story

Ivan is 14 years old and has been a pupil at the school since 2001. Ivan’s mother died when he was 4 years old. After his mother’s death, his father married another woman, who treated Ivan badly. During the holidays Ivan helps at home by collecting firewood, grazing goats, cleaning, etc. He is very happy and comfortable at school, and likes to eat a lot because he receives such miserable portions at home! He appreciates the project staff and everyone who supports the project through the Kisoro Trust Scotland. In future he hopes to be a farmer to earn his living.

The Kisoro Trust
91 Restalrig Avenue, Edinburgh, EH7 6PN, UK
Recognised Scottish Charity No. SC 029384

Email address: info@Kisoro.org