The politics...

I’m not sure how much detail I should go into on this topic.  However, I wouldn’t be doing this trip justice to tell you all the happy stuff and none of the things that happen slightly behind (or directly in front of) the scenes.  There have been many things that have caused really intense frustration, but it’s often those things that cause you to grow the most in an experience like this one.

Let me preface this by saying that there is no doubt in my mind that the people I refer to here have only the best interests of the kids they serve at heart.  However, there is quite the contrast between what we think would best serve those kids, and what they think would best serve them.

I’ve referred to the “OT culture shock” before - the contrast between the OT that I know and the OT that’s practiced here.  I think that it would probably be more appropriate to call it “disability culture shock” as the contrasts go way, way beyond just the OT world.

Example: At home, Steph is super involved in the special olympics.  During one of her swim meets, I bought a special olympics shirt that sports their motto on the back of it: “Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”

The special olympics is also present in Uganda.  Their motto?  “Give us a chance.”

The following situation I think depicts some of our struggles here really well.  About two weeks in, Jen and I were sitting in chapel (a Christian program, therefore mandatory daily chapel, complete with one of the students pounding out the songs’ rhythms on an African drum).  During this time there is always a mini-lesson where one of the teachers will talk for a few minutes about something like respecting your friends or not walking on the gardens.  Today one of the teachers decided that she would pull her students up in front of the school one-by-one and ridicule them in front of everyone for things they have done badly.  She pointed out each of the autistic children in the school and told the children that the reason they had outbursts (during the drum-infused worship time) was because they had satan in the hearts.  She told the students that god doesn’t love these children and that we have to pray for them.

Hard to swallow.  Very, very hard to swallow.

I have been lucky enough to share our guesthouse with Lionel and Donna, a couple from Victoria.  They are both counsellors and Lionel has been volunteering for two months per year at the school for the past 4 years.  He has lots of experience with the kids and the teachers and, luckily, a lot more insight into the goings on.

Apparently public ridicule is a normal part of the educational system here.  Kids who go to public school will attend their classes along with 119 of their classmates - all in one room.  Public ridicule and beatings are used in order to keep this massive number of kids in line.  This makes it more understandable (though not excusable) as to why the teachers at Mengo school use public ridicule.  However the autism bit is related to a total lack of understanding about autistm.  We have explored the possibility of doing a workshop for the teachers and developing materials for families explaining what autism is and why these children do what they do.  Turns out, both of these have already been done.  It is instead the religious underpinnings that drive these beliefs.  They honestly believe that families who have children like this are cursed.  (They clearly have never met Steph nor do they understand the complete blessing she has been in our family). This makes me absolutely furious.  And I hate that these kids live with a stigma that they have done nothing to deserve.  The kids and their families, actually.

Here’s the dilemma:

The idea of missionaries - of someone coming into another culture and pushing their beliefs on someone - makes me cringe a bit.  I get it, I get that they’re trying to do good and share the hope and peace that they have found, but I don’t agree with the idea that these beliefs should be forced on others (eeek might be getting myself into some deep water here... to those who this makes angry we can hash it out in person some time, k?)  But hear me out.  I think that what missionaries desire to do has a really direct parallel to what my desire would be in the situation described above.  I feel that I have information that is more credible than the information that these teachers have (i.e. what contributes to autism, why the kids jump around and ‘stim out’ in chapel, methods to control their behaviours that don’t involve hitting of any kind), but the people here have their beliefs as to what is going on.  How hard do you try to get someone to share your beliefs?  What ends do you have to go to?  Offending people?  Pushing your beliefs on someone else, knowing full well that the fact that it’s been researched well and published in credible peer-reviewed journals will mean absolutely nothing to them.  I have honestly considered teaching them the song “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world...” but decided that maybe that would be passive aggressive.  Just maybe.

But I guess the bottom line is that there really isn’t an easy answer.  There are two extremes: push my beliefs firmly and with a vengeance, or ignore the whole thing entirely and chalk it up to a cultural difference.  As with any case of extremes, neither is a good option.  And I am left with very little guidance here as to what would best serve these kids while still respecting the fact that the school has invited us in with open arms (and also taking into account that if I offend people, they definitely will not listen to what I have to say - regardless of how valid it is).  

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On a bright (and totally unrelated) note: I was at Sanyu today, and while feeding some of the really little babies I got to talking to the woman who was holding little baby Mary (the one who stole my heart the first day I was there), and telling her how beautiful I think Mary is.  She kept saying ‘oh thank you thank you” and I didn’t really get it at first.  She went on to explain that she and her husband had been fighting to adopt Mary since about November and just found out that they now have her!  In a few weeks they’ll be able to take her home with them.  She told me how when they first say Mary she weighed only 500 grams, and everyone told them that they were crazy to try and adopt ‘this one’ because no one believed that she would make it.  But she did, and she really is beautiful.  They’re going to rename her Abigail to mark the start of her new life with them.  I can’t tell you how happy I am to know that she’s going to a loving home - and soon!