Meet Leticia!  

I have been seeing Leticia twice a week in our clinic in the Katanga slum since September. Leticia is 2 years old and was referred to our clinic due to an expressive language delay secondary to hydrocephalus. Leticia began therapy communicating her wants and needs through crying and the use of gestures. She is now using single words as well as imitating phrases all the time! This wonderful progress attributes to Momma Leticia's dedication and hard work. At 18, she attends tailoring school and still makes time to bring her daughter to therapy as well as implement all of the strategies and recommendations at home. She is a rockstar. 

As the weeks passed and progress was made in therapy, Leticia's prognosis of untreated hydrocephalus became a major concern. After collaborating with Hope Speaks social workers to provide Momma Leticia with appointment and transport funds, Leticia was able to attend the well known Hydrocephalus clinic in the Eastern side of the country. I cannot thank you all enough for your continued support and donations that made this appointment possible. We praised God in Katanga after Leticia returned from the Care Clinic with a report that her head is slowly reducing in size and surgery is not needed! She is now also beginning physical therapy to strengthen her muscles for sitting and holding her head up. 

Katanga is one of my favorite locations for therapy as the moms and caregivers are able to be a part of the therapy sessions and learn how to best interact with their child to target therapy goals at home. The caregivers are then given one new task each week to work on with their child at home and report on their completion the following week. The social workers also offer a woman’s empowerment program for the mom’s to attend as there is such a negative stigma associated with having a child with a disability in communities here. Momma Leticia shared during one of our sessions that Leticia’s father has repeatedly told her to leave her daughter due to her disability. Unfortunately, this is a very common situation. Too often, Fathers believe their genes could not possibly produce a child with a disability or that their child has been cursed. I feel so grateful to work with and learn from such strong mothers who want the best for their children despite what their culture may believe.

It has now been 4 months here in Uganda! Time is flying by, although the weather still makes me believe it’s summer time. It’s crazy to think back to the start of my time here and how everything feels so normal now. Here are just a few of the day to day things I’ve learned to adjust to:

• Getting around: I can now get around on my own and give directions to boda (Ugandan motorcycles) drivers! It’s a wonderful feeling since all of the streets looked the same to me when I first arrived. It helps that I travel all around Kampala for therapy so I have gotten to know certain parts pretty well.

• Public Transportation: I’m on bodas so often they show up in my dreams. My morning ride has become therapeutic before work as I listen to music or podcast. The boda drivers at the bottom of the hill near my house know me as the mazungu with the red helmet and like to try and make me pay mazungu prices. Bargaining prices has become second nature here. Public transportation here also consists of 14 person taxis that always seem to fit one more person not matter the current occupancy. No need to have your own seat here. Kampala is filled with traffic jams caused by a lack of enforced traffic laws. This can create 5 lanes on roads made for 2 lanes- Chicago traffic is nowhere close to Kampala jam. Needless to say, bodas are a lot more efficient so I take bodas throughout the day to maximize my time at each therapy location and catch taxis on my commute home.

• Names I’ve been called/learned to respond to: Mazungu, Madam, My Queen, O’brey, Habarey, America, Baby, etc. etc. etc. It was quite the adjustment always being called out to no matter who or where I pass by. 

• The food: The food is so delicious here and it is so easy to be vegan! I’ve been known to tell my boda to pullover so I can buy chapati or popcorn. Other favorites include beans and rice, cooked cabbage, sweet potato, Irish potatoes, pumpkin, avocado salad, jackfruit, mango, and pineapple. Despite the wide variety of fresh fresh produce, Ugandans prefer to prepare each food the same way, creating the same meals day after day. Posho and matooke are also staples, but lowest on my list of favorites.

• The weather: It’s been rainy season ever since I’ve arrived and its quickly coming to an end. It typically rains for an hour each day and is very easy to predict. The sky turns dark leaving you to decide whether to quickly get catch a boda to avoid being stranded or wait it out. My rain jacket is always with me. When it decides to rain all morning, many people stay at home waiting for the clear skies to avoid taking public transport in the pouring rain. Rainy days=snow days. 

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Thank you again for reading and for your continuous prayers and support! God bless!