The road to school for Gabriel, a 10 year-old boy living with cerebral palsy

Gabriel had long dreamt of going to school in the refugee settlement where he lives. Today, HI’s rehabilitation and inclusion teams have helped make his dream come true.

Close-up portrait of a young boy seated in a wheelchair. He looks at the camera and smiles.

Gabriel lives in Nakivale refugee settlement with his mother and siblings. | © I. Aguta / HI

Dreaming of going to school

Gabriel lives in Nakivale Refugee Settlement in southern Uganda with his mother and two younger siblings. This has been the family’s home since 2022, when they were forced to flee the violence in their own country, the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Gabriel has cerebral palsy, a condition that used to seriously affect his mobility. He was unable to walk independently, his leg movements were limited and, while sitting, he had difficulty using his hands and wrists to hold a pen or grasp objects.

He dreamt of going to school with his friends, but his mother didn’t have the means to make this happen. Instead, he had to spend most of his days at home.

Gaining mobility

In January 2024, community-based facilitators and Humanity & Inclusion (HI)’s rehabilitation team began working with Gabriel to make his dream come true. As part of a European Union-funded inclusive education project, HI’s physiotherapist and occupational therapist assessed him and confirmed his mobility challenges.

They gave Gabriel intensive physical therapy sessions and an exercise plan to follow at home with his mother to prepare him for becoming a wheelchair user. When his wheelchair arrived, his dream came true.

Gabriel shares: “Before I got my wheelchair, I was in a bad situation and couldn’t go school. Now I can get to school in my wheelchair where I can work and play with my friends, and I can also use it to go and visit my family.”

A dream come true

Thanks to additional support from the Norwegian Refugee Council, Gabriel was enrolled in the nursery section of Rubondo Primary School where over 300 children from the refugee and host communities are learning together. Gabriel’s mobility has been greatly improved by his wheelchair. He is now attending school regularly, with his friends pushing him there and back.

“I recommend that all children who have disabilities like me should get help from HI so that they can go to school. I’m so happy to have fulfilled my dream.”

Gabriel's dream has come true thanks to the support of the European Union through the INCLUDE III project, which offers conflict-affected children the opportunity to learn and develop their potential in inclusive and protective education in emergency settings. This project has supported 50 primary schools, and 171 children have been able to go back to school.

Date published: 26/03/25