Organisation Profile

Katalemwa Cheshire Home for Rehabilitation Services (KCH) was initially set up to provide a family home environment to people who were incurable, sick and physically disabled. Over the years the home has expanded and the emphasis changed from long-term residential care for adults to short-term rehabilitation for children with physical disabilities.
In 2000, the National Council of Cheshire Homes was formed to coordinate activities of all the Cheshire Homes in Uganda. Katalemwa therefore ceased to have responsibility for the other homes and started increasing rehabilitation services both at the centre and in the communities through collaborations and partnerships.

KCH focuses on providing medical and social rehabilitation to children with disabilities and their families, provision of mobility aids. KCH seeks to promote children’s right to quality education and offer livelihood programmes to enable children with disabilities and their families to live independent lives. Skills training/ development and empowerment of families through psycho–social and nutritional support are important element of the programme. While the organization works towards the rehabilitation of all children with disabilities in the country, in all settings, emphasis is laid on children from vulnerable and needy families and communities. Both females and males are given equal opportunity and consideration.KCH also provides appliances to older people.

We believe in community based approaches, the participation of parents and local communities and in partnership with other organisations in the rehabilitation process. KCH therefore works in partnership with a range of stakeholders namely rehabilitation centres, hospitals, local NGOs and CBOs and other line agencies within the rehabilitation sector.

Major achievements and milestones, as well as current areas of work;
• KCH was honoured and recognised for having made significant efforts to improve the lives of children in Uganda. We were awarded Two Tumaini Awards for being exemplary in providing comprehensive health services and livelihood programmes to children with disabilities and their families.
• KCH was a prize winner of the Larissa 2010 award for Outstanding Service in Protecting, Caring and Providing for Children with Disabilities in Africa.
• We have supported 64,696 Children with Disabilities (CWDs) through innovative community based approaches that involved conducting community outreached and home based care.
• Successfully mainstreamed HIV/AIDS services in disability work to combat the exclusion of children with disabilities and their families from accessing HIV/AIDS services.
• Promoted participation of CWDs and their families, local district health professionals and counsellors in rehabilitation and provided an opportunity for communities to understand, own and sustain rehabilitation of CWDs.
• KCH is the leading appliance production workshop in the region with well-established appliance production, training and monitoring functions.
• KCH also enhanced the capacity of 135 rehabilitation centres and hospitals through training of staff and provision of therapeutic equipment to support rehabilitation of CWDs in their localities.
• KCH continued to impart practical hand skills focused on empowering parents to generate household income and promoted food production aimed at food security and better nutrition to improve the living conditions of CWDs and their families.
• Formation and support of parent learning committees in the Central, Eastern and Western regions. The parents groups empower fellow parents to conduct community sensitization, lobbying, advocacy and capacity building in t heir specific areas.
• Promoted inclusive education and formed an Early Learning Centre to support the education of children with learning challenges to prepare them for mainstream schooling.

Future strategies, directions and needs;
• Continue conducting community outreaches and strengthening the PLC groups that already exist.
• Scaling up advocacy efforts not only by KCH but also other stakeholders to debate child protection issues especially vulnerable groups like the children with disabilities and orphans.
• Lobbying and advocating both at district and nation levels so that CWDs are included in planning and budgeting process.
• KCH will continue conducting disability and HIV/AIDS sensitization activities in various communities so that they understand the scale and impact of HIV/AIDS on children with disabilities and address it accordingly.
• Strengthening linkages and partnership with HIV/AIDS organizations and KCH to increase access to HIV/AIDS programmes.