SpinaBifida and Hydrocephalus Advocates Resorts to Music, Art to Fight Stigma

The National Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Association of Uganda (SHAU) has launched a new advocacy campaign based on Music and Art through which the rights of people living with such conditions can be advanced.

The launch of four regional music groups of persons living with SpinaBifida and Hydrocephalus was held at Hotel Africana in Kampala and was presided over by the Commissioner in the Ministry of  Gender, Samson Masiga who was representing the Minister of State for Elderly and PWDS, Sarah Kanyike.

At the launch, SHAU Executive Director, Ruth Nalugya said that the initiative was developed after the organization faced hard time to reach out to the masses due to challenges that came along the COVID-19 lockdown measures.

“We are here to continue with advocacy and awareness, in the past years, we have been doing advocacy in an approach common to every one but we realized during the lockdown when most of us the only way of communication was via phones and later we would bot access airtime services and electricity,” Nalugya said.

Nalugya said that as SHAU they  had plans of going back to communities to create awareness about the conditions but for the whole year 2020 physical meetings were a nightmare.

“So as bright children and advocates we said this can’t be  a limitation there are other ways through which we can continue with awareness and advocacy; we decided to resort to music and art as a way of advocacy and fighting stigma against persons living with SpinaBifida and Hydrocephalus,” Nalugya noted.

Speaking during the event, commissioner, Samson Masiga expressed government commitment to support the organization and the Persons living with SpinaBifida.

“Government has developed a good legal framework for the empowerment and ensuring participation of Persons with Disabilities as such a fund was set aside for the PWDS which we believe will enhance their livelihood,” Masiga said.