Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research (Dec 2020)

‘Obuntu Bulamu’ – Development and Testing of an Indigenous Intervention for Disability Inclusion in Uganda

  • Femke Bannink Mbazzi,
  • Ruth Nalugya,
  • Elizabeth Kawesa,
  • Harriet Nambejja,
  • Pamela Nizeyimana,
  • Patrick Ojok,
  • Geert Van Hove,
  • Janet Seeley

DOI
https://doi.org/10.16993/sjdr.697
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 22, no. 1
pp. 403 – 416

Abstract

Read online

There is need to learn from indigenous knowledge and concepts when studying disability and inclusion in resource-constrained settings. We describe the development and testing of the ‘Obuntu bulamu’ intervention, a peer-to-peer support disability inclusion intervention, starting from indigenous interpretations of belonging and humanity. ‘Obuntu bulamu’ is an accepted and consistent behaviour that signifies a shared set of values that promote well-being, togetherness, and unity. The intervention was co-created and tested by a team of children, parents, teachers, disability rehabilitation workers, and academics in Uganda. It consists of training sessions, peer support meetings, and activities for children, parents, and teachers around the themes ‘peer support’, ‘disability’, and ‘belonging’. Through qualitative participatory methods the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention was evaluated with 64 children, 64 parents, and 33 teachers in 10 communities in Wakiso district, Central Uganda.

Keywords