When we are born "normal", we often take a lot of God's blessings for granted. However there is a lot more people out there that are born different and because of that they can not afford to take anything in life for granted because that could be the difference between them living a life filled with joy and happiness and them living a life of alienation and despair. After interviewing John William Wandicho for his player profile, he opened our eyes to the way something as simple but fundamentally important to a certain group of people like Rugby can greatly impact and change the world beyond the rugby field.
Embrace Kulture is a charity organisation in Uganda that advocates for children, with learning disabilities like autism among others, to have equal education opportunities as all other children. Autism is basically a psychological condition, that shows signs at as early an age as three years old, where children have difficulty in communication, forming relationships with other people and in using language and abstract concepts. It is very essential to understand that even if there is three types of autism, they all lie on a spectrum and vary child by child. The three types of autism include Autism Disorder, Asperger Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder. Embrace Kulture through training of special education teachers and setting up special education schools is hoping to get more children with learning disabilities in school where they can learn to be confident in their difference.
Well here is where John comes in. He made a decision to volunteer with Embrace Kulture just like any other volunteer joins a great organisation with even a better cause behind it. However the more he interacted with these amazing children he realized that there was something he could share with them that could make their days that much brighter. So he came up with the concept of inclusive rugby where children with autism could play on tag rugby teams. If there is one thing that is well known about any child that maybe be considered disabled, its that they are unable to participate in sporting activities. However statistics show that children on the autism spectrum are almost just as capable if not better at certain sporting activities and are more than OK to participate in sports.
Well John took that opportunity to share his love for the great sport of Rugby with these children that quickly became a very important part of his life. Here is what John had to say about the entire experience.
What has been the most rewarding experience from volunteering? Seeing the kids happy and playing in competitions with "normal kids." We also have a deaf boy who trains with us and he is an amazing player!
Do you think these children could use Rugby in their daily lives? Yes I think they can cause they have knowledge of the game though I think they can't do contact rugby due to their conditions.
Would you recommend volunteering at Embracing Kulture or volunteering in general to other players? Yes I would highly recommend it because in our society such children are ignored. It's a great experience sharing the skills and getting to know how to relate such children.
Why intellectually disabled children? It could have been any other group of kids. Why kids with special needs? Intellectually disabled kids are just like any other kids and also love to play. They are often ignored or kept away from society which I believe isn't right.
What do you hope to achieve through sharing rugby with these kids? I just want to make them happy through playing like the normal kids and change the mindset of people who think these kids can't do anything cause of their different conditions. We started an inclusive rugby program at St. Ursula School of Special Needs in Buwenge, Jinja where we involved the community as well. There is a girls' team from the community that trains with the kids from the school now.
We also reached out to an island called Zinga off the shores of Kigungu landing site in Entebbe. It's an island of about 10,000 people that faces a lot of challenges. We are using rugby as a way of teaching several aspects of life like going to school, basic health through a partnership with Island Mission Uganda. We met a lady who is a grand mother at 30! Her 14 year old gave birth which means she also gave birth at around the same age so the cycle will continue but through rugby, we talk to them about the dangers of giving birth at such a tender age and the importance of education.
What has been the effect of volunteering and interacting with these kids, on you as a person and your view on life? I've realized these kids are smart, they can do things like normal kids including going to school. It has taught me to appreciate everyone no matter their condition and appreciate life even more.
Is there anything else you would like to share? My friends from the Rugby Fraternity mainly Uganda Rugby Cranes National Team players and Coach Robert Sseguya (aka Soggie) will join me for a touch rugby tournament on Sunday 23rd April, 2017 in Entebbe to raise awareness and interact with disabled and disadvantaged children. I encourage everyone to join any of the teams including the Rugby 256 team or just come out and support as we learn more about how to treat, interact with and see that these disabled or disadvantaged children can be like any other "normal" child.
For those that want to get in touch with Embrace Kulture for volunteering opportunities, feel free to contact Stephan by email at stephan@embracekulture.org or call Stephan at +256787698871. For more information about Embrace Kulture and how you can join in their movement for change visit their website www.embracekulture.org .
We at Rugby 256 are happy to support John William Wandicho and Embrace Kulture with their mission,"to create an inclusive world where all children are embraced for what makes them unique".
There will be an Autism Awareness Walk on March 23rd 2017 in Entebbe. Feel free to go out to Entebbe to support this great cause. Maybe you can learn a thing or two about Autism. Finally we strongly encourage all of you to go out to the Autism Awareness Touch Rugby Tournament on April 23rd 2017 and support this same cause. If anything join a tag rugby team and play rugby for fun at this event. If anyone would like to join the Rugby 256 team feel free to message us on our Facebook page and we will be more than happy to let you join our team. Lets come together and remind all these amazing children that it is normal to be different, because to be significant, you need to be different. Everyone that is good at something has to stand out to be noticed. So lets celebrate that for every single one of these children.
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