The right support allows refugee children with disabilities to thrive

When Bienvenue Ndizihiwe, a Congolese refugee who is studying Math, Chemistry and Biology (MCB) at HVP Gatagara school, received his end-of-term results last week, he could not hide his satisfaction.

“We like to say that ‘disability is not inability.’ That means we are all capable, we are the same,” he says, reflecting on his strong performance this term.

The 21-year-old refugee, currently studying in senior five, has had hearing loss since he was born. But this has not prevented him from performing well in class since he began attending specialized schools like HVP Gatagara in Huye District, where he studies now. This has been a major turning point, significantly supporting his education needs.

Bienvenue highlights the difference it makes to have teachers trained in sign language and other simple accommodations. If one teacher is not fluent in sign language, the school can provide an additional teacher who focuses on deaf students and explains to them using sign language.

“There is a wide range of support we receive at this school. They give us hearing aids that help me to hear,” he explains. “All this support helps me to study properly, to hear, and to follow the teacher well.”

In addition to specialized education, Bienvenue – like other refugee students in Rwanda – gets other education support such as school fees, scholastic materials like notebooks, school uniforms, feeding, and other assistance, thanks to generous support from Üsine Foundation.

“When you are well fed and living well at school, and when school fees are paid, you feel motivated and say to yourself: ‘let me study hard because they have paid for me,’” he explains.

This support from Üsine Foundation has given him renewed hope to continue his studies and pursue his dream of becoming a medical doctor one day so that he can be able to help people with disabilities like him.

Despite Bienvenue’s optimistic view, things have not always been smooth for him; he has faced numerous challenges along his education journey due to his hearing loss. His hope was only restored when he was supported to attend specialized schools.

It all began with a late enrolment, starting primary education at the age of eight. He was attending a normal school in the camp which lacked assistive devices and trained teachers to assist children with disabilities.

“I was struggling because I could not hear well, which made me perform poorly since I could not follow lessons in class. It was a struggle, all the way up to primary six. As I grew older, my hearing disability became worse,” he recalls, adding that his older siblings used to explain some of the lessons at home.

In primary three, he nearly lost hope of continuing his education, but his mother’s encouragement kept him going while efforts were underway to enrol him in a specialized school. He was able to attend a specialized school when he started the first year of secondary education.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, works with World Vision International and other partners to help refugee children with special needs like Bienvenue access the specialized support that allows them to reach their potential.

Despite these programs, needs are still huge. Hundreds of refugee school-aged children in Rwanda need assistive devices or other kind of assistance to get education in specialized schools – and persistent funding gaps limit the resources available for such assistance.

To ensure equal learning opportunities, Bienvenue advocates for specialized assistance for refugee children with special needs.

“Refugee children with disabilities need support so that they can study well. When they study in schools without assistive devices, they cannot learn like other students,” he says.

He is also grateful to people who support refugee children like him to access education.

“I thank them very much because they support us a lot,” he says. “Without this support, we would not be able to study.”