In many parts of the world there is no school structure for children with disabilities. Already weakened, they find themselves excluded from the system and condemned to face many difficulties throughout their lives. This is the case of Marie-Jeanne, aged 4, in Senegal.
Marie-Jeanne lives in Sedhiou, in Casamance, Senegal. Since she was born, she is blind. For lack of ophthalmological consultation, her family has no explanation for her disability. Only nurses from the neighborhood health center intervened, but without success. “They did their best but nothing could correct the disability,” regrets Rose, her grandmother.
” I want to go to school “
Deprived of sight, Marie-Jeanne developed hearing. “Every time her brothers and sisters get in a corner to do their homework, she does everything to sit next to it. She then hears them reading A-B-C and she repeats with them, “says Tinina, her 25-year-old mother.
Unfortunately, unlike her brother and sister, respectively in CM2 and CE1, Marie-Jeanne does not have access to education. In Sédhiou, there is no school or specialized center for children with visual disabilities. “Marie-Jeanne keeps asking me for a schoolbag to go to class. She says, “I want to go to school too,” but with her disability, it’s complicated. I do not know which teacher can take care of a child like her. I would like to find a solution to give her a better life“, concludes her mother.
For Aide et Action, this situation is unacceptable. No child should be deprived of their right to education! That is why we defend the idea of inclusive education that offers everyone the same opportunities for the future. The inclusion of children with disabilities in “ordinary” schools promotes full primary schooling and helps to eliminate discrimination. States must make this topic a priority and invest in order to develop inclusive learning environments and provide appropriate training for teachers to leave no one behind!