Meskerem är 7 år, är döv och kan teckenspråk!

Ett projekt för att hjälpa funktionshindrade barn att få anpassad skolundervisning i staden Jijiga, nord-östra Etiopien.

Ett center kommer byggas där ett team arbetar med att indentifiera de barn med särskilda behov. Deras föräldrar kommer erbjudas stöd och rådgivning. De insamlade medel till Etiopienprojektet kommer tio-dubblas av Sida innan de omsätts.

Parents from Norway meet parents in Jijiga and a first contact is established.

The new Special Needs Education Unit under construction. It will be a place for the mentally challenged children and their parent. It will be a place for assessment, counselling and advice.

The parents from Norway, who all have children with mental handicap travelled and met with parents in similar situation. This is the first time such a meeting has taken place in the country and it became an emotional and powerful experience for both sides. The parents in Jijiga were able to see that the problems and the hardship they experience daily, other experience as well, in other countries. This gave them comfort.

The team of 8 people visited also the new building under construction, which will be the new special education unit of mentally challenged children in the region. A further cooperation will be developed between the parent associations in the future, after an association is formed and established in Jijiga.

Cooperation between the Teacher Training College in Jijiga and the Norwegian Teacher Academy in Bergen, Norway will also be established. In Addis Ababa the team met with parents from the “Ethiopian National Association for Mentally Retarded Children and Youth”. They also visited several institutions and made contacts which might result in a future cooperation on National level in the future.

Visit at the Education Bureau Head. (Minister), Mr. Abdulfatah Sheik Abdullai, who has given us support and a good cooperation.

A unit will be built to enable the project and later the unit employee to assess and diagnose the children with mental disabilities helping them to receive the necessary help and stimulation. A parent association will be formed, enabling the parents to have a voice in promoting the interests of these children in the public room.

Curriculum will be developed for the Teacher Training College in Jijiga, so as to make the students aware of these children and their needs when they are entering the teaching profession.

IAS has two partners from Norway in this project. John Ingvard Kristiansen, Lecturer at The Norwegian Teachers Academy in Bergen, who will participate in the curriculum development process. Trond Morten Osvold, Chair Person of the “Mentally Handicapped Children Parent Association” of Norway. He will assist in forming an association of parent in Jijiga.

We are looking forward to cooperate with the partners and believe their contribution will be positive for the children and parents.

Andreas Zetterlund International Liaison Officer andreas.zetterlundias.nu