How would you get to a sewing class if it were a few miles from your home? What if you didn't have use of your legs? And what if you had a two year-old, and a six-month old baby?
You might be tempted to stay home. But for one of the students in our men's shirt class this summer, these facts were a daily reality. But she didn't use them as an excuse. Every day, she came to class on a boda-boda, a small motorbike that is one of the main forms of transportation in Uganda. Much like a New York City taxi, they can be found on every corner. Each day, someone helped our student onto the back of a boda, handed her the baby, and then put her two year-old into the arms of the boda driver. Our student balanced there all the way to class. When she arrived, a classmate would help her down and carry her baby to the classroom, while she scooted her way to class over the ground.
Once in class, she used one of two hand-crank machines we had on hand - specially chosen to allow our disabled students to participate and learn along with our other class members.
Written by Tara Hawks, Fount's Vocational Development Director
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