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African-Hungarian Union: Disabled people can be happy too! – Photos from Mali
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Despite the 40 degrees’ heat and the hot season, the representatives of the African-Hungarian Union have traveled to Mali, in order to visit their partner organization, which is The Foundation for Disabled Children in Bamako. The two-person team was driven by a noble cause. They took new children into the program and brought donations to the poor – GLOBS Magazine.
Nagui Touré is 18 years old and lives in the capital of Mali. He has great dreams, just like other boys of his age.
“It is just impossible to believe that once he will be able to achieve his goals.” – told Györgyi Szabó, Child Support Coordinator of the African-Hungarian Union.
There is smile and joy on his face. He will soon graduate from high school. Then, he wants to go to law school to be a lawyer. Knowing his situation, it is not easy to be so ambitious. He was born blind, just like his siblings.
Their father left the family. Therefore, the mother raises three blind children, on her own.
During the two-week-long mission, the Child Support Coordinator of the AHU and Ágnes Simigh volunteer visited among others the Touré family. As Györgyi said, she was expecting a very hard experience during the meeting with disabled children in deplorable conditions. However, it was not like this. “Despite the poor conditions, the parents and children remained happy and full of hope.”
The AHU has been working with the local Aides aux Enfants Démunisdu Mali Profond (AEDMP) foundation, which was established by a nice couple. They took over a British disabled child support foundation, after closing their office in Mali.
The other special institutions for disabled (mentally and physically challenged, blind or deaf) children were very far away from their residence, and the families could not pay for the travel expenses. Therefore, the disabled children stayed home, without any special aid or development. Six years ago, the foundation took a huge step.
They wanted to bring a tiny ray of hope into the everyday lives of children with disabilities. Hence, the school for the training of disabled children is called Ray of Hope Center (Lueur d’Espoir). A total of 68 children study in the institution, from every age group. The school offers almost all-day activities for children. They teach reading and writing for the ones in school age. Furthermore, there are special activities for the older ones like sewing, painting or making chairs.
