Yvonne and her daughter

Yvonne is 27 years old and originally comes from South Sudan. She was forced to leave her home in 2016 due to the violent outbreak of ongoing political conflicts. She was relocated to the Imvepi refugee settlement in Uganda. Her journey to the settlement was not easy. Yvonne faced a lot of hardship and challenges during that time. She is glad to be in a safer place than she was in South Sudan, however, life in the settlement is difficult for her. She finds it challenging to adjust to the new environment and culture. Back home, she was able to engage in various activities such as farming and other business activities. “It has been a challenge for me to get myself in it again”, Yvonne explains. “Before I had my daughter, me and my family did not have any experience of what it is like having to take care of a child with cerebral palsy. I do not remember anything in my life that was similarly difficult than finding out about her condition. My daughter was doing well for the first three months of her life. In the fourth month, we started to notice that she was crying a lot and not developing in a way we thought was normal. At first, I did not think it was something serious, but it continued to get worse. I had the worst time in my life. I didn´t know how to help her. There was no support, not even from my family since they perceived my daughter as strange”, Yvonne says.

Yvonne only learned about cerebral palsy when COHERE and KDA came to the settlement and carried out the training. “Having a child with CP is very costly. I was in a lot of pain every day because I did not know what to do,” Yvonne says. “I want her to go to school and get the education she needs.” At first, she was skeptical about the ways she could benefits from the project activities but she admits that the training ignited curiosity and motivation in her. “I can apply the knowledge by myself now and I can see that my daughter’s life has improved since we started the treating and the stretching exercises. I would like to know more”, Yvonne explains. Yvonne feels more positive about the future now. “Maybe one day, there can be a school for children with cerebral palsy in the settlement”, she concludes.

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