If you ask the average Ugandan what “special needs” are they will either scratch their head in confusion or tell you that it is some kind of special social disability. At any rate, they will most likely get it wrong. But that’s fine. This is not an exam. It is actually a journey. Rosemary Nambooze Niwagaba takes us through this journey in her book titled “Abryl: Born with Down Syndrome: A Journey of Significance.” Abryl is a special child raised by the author in a context of limited knowledge on special children.
Uganda, to all intents and purposes, is still transforming into a country which understands the special needs that come with special children. By this token, we learn about ‘Angel’s, Center for Children With Special Needs” and how this organisation has lead the charge to the much-needed interventions that have catered to the needs of countless children with intellectual disabilities in Uganda and improved the coping strategies of many caregivers in Uganda.
It is a groundbreaking book, by any reckoning. It is vitally enriching, too. “This book brings to life the untold struggles of caregivers of children with special needs in Uganda where horrific culturally embedded myths surrounding such children is still a big elephant in the room. The judgement, abandonment and near-mental degrading situations that they face daily as they strive to nurture and protect these children,” relates the author.
One reader agrees, adding: “This book changes the narrative that disability is associated with odds and poverty-stricken environment. It is a must read for everybody, especially guardians of children with special needs, social workers and people in academia. It is also an initiative of Angel’s Center 10-year anniversary to raise funds for a vocational book to support young adults with special needs to develop their skills.” Uganda, as a whole, has come a very long way when it comes to understanding and giving care to children with special needs.
I remember, not too long ago, when special needs children were on the business end of unfair treatment from the public. Sure, there was no public flogging of children with special needs. But with the societal indifference to their realties sure made it feel that they were being subjected to a public flogging. Today, I see schools for autistic children in Ntinda, Kampala, and in other parts of the country. Indeed, there is a dawning of sanity with respect to children with special needs. There is still a long way to go.
But we are already making steps in the right direction of attempting to complete this journey. A lot of this is thanks to the work of Angel’s Clinic and the unstinting determination of Rosemary Nambooze Niwagaba. She is the director of Angel’s Center for Children with Special Needs.
Although largely a battle cry for a better life for every child with special needs, this book also chronicles the fits and starts that often trammel the activities of those who navigate the work of giving special needs children the special attention they require to live a normal life. It is not easy, the book clearly shows.
This is especially so when many Ugandans believe that children with special needs are either paying for crimes committed in a previous life or are victims of witchcraft. That must sound risible to you, but society’s biases and stereotypes play a major role in dwarfing the efforts to alleviate the challenges children with special needs encounter every day, everywhere. It is heartwarming to see that there are people out there who are trying to remedy this situation and this is what makes this book so important.
Title: Abryl: Born with Down Syndrome: A Journey of Significanc
Author: Rosemary Nambooze Niwagaba
Pages: 109
Price: Shs50,000
Availability: Aristoc
Published: 2025
