Prayer's for Helena

Helena's Story

There's been some exciting news going on around Huruma Special Unit lately.  But it's not over yet, and we sure could use your help, especially your prayers.

You may remember the girl pictured above, Helena, from a previous blog about prayers for a good place for her to be included with her non-disabled peers.  You see, according to Dr. Bob Thompson, a good friend back home and the first person I went to about this condition, Helena's only disability is that her tibia and right femur are so bowed that she cannot walk on her own.  It's a very rare condition called congenital pseudoarthrosis of the tibia.  Helena's faith filled family had pursued treatment before, and one of the legs has been operated on, but one of the doctors died and the other returned to America to do research before the treatment was finished.

A couple weeks ago, Caitlin and I were visiting our friends Frank and Karen (two missionaries from North Carolina living in Bukoba across Lake Victoria).  We went with them as they were helping a little girl living in a village get treatment for her clubbed foot.  While the doctor was making his final inspection of the casting, I quickly showed him Helena's picture and asked if he knew anyone who could help her.  One name led to another and soon I was emailing a Tanzanian doctor named Doctor Isidor and his mentor, Dr. Shaefer from Wisconsin.  Dr. Isidor informed me that Dr. Shaefer would be coming on the 20th and that they might be able to do an operation.  

We brought Helena into the regional hospital here in Mwanza, Bugando Hospital, for x-rays, blood work and an ultrasound and Dr. Isidor says she meets the criteria.  The next step comes next Sunday when Caitlin, myself, Helena's mother Happiness and Helena will make the boat trip over to Bukoba for the operation.  

How can you help?   Most importantly, pray for Helena and her family.  Dr. Isidor has said that the treatment is very difficult and takes a very long time.  It involves breaking her shins  and femur up into pieces and repining it back together.  Fortunately, Dr. Shaefer has done this type of operation before and Dr. Isidor sounds very confident (Dr. Isidor didn't mention whether he had also).  The healing from the operation will take a very long time, and even though I am pretty certain Dr. Shaefer is doing his work free, many of the tools and materials used will cost money.

I have appreciated how the family has come forth so far and paid as much as they could for the different tests we have already done.  Although the family has some means, this operation is certainly going to be a burden for them, emotionally as well as financially.  Fortunately, the local parish, Pasiansi (where Huruma has a classroom and Helena goes to school) has offered to pay half of the medical bills.  Can we pick up the second half?

Helena and her family live halfway up a large hill in a small but well built 150 square foot house.  For now, every day one of her family members carries her up and down the three flights of stairs to get to school.  Someday however she will be to big to carry.  Please join with me in prayer that this operation goes well so that some day Helena will be able to walk up and down these stairs herself.  If you would like to help the family with some of the medical bills, please go to mklm.org/Rossers and be sure to write, "For the mission account of David Rosser- Helena" in the comments section.

Thank you and I will keep you posted.

The prayers of the righteous are powerful indeed . . .

Pictured below are Edward and Helena. They are some of the most advanced students at Huruma Special Unit right now. Edward suffers from cerebral palsy and Helena has deformed shins that bend midway, looking almost like she has two sets of knees. Both are extremely sharp. In fact, I strongly believe that if they had the accommodations and supports that many children have in countries with developed education programs (such as the U.S.) they would be learning alongside their peers in regular ed. classrooms.

I've been thinking about how these two could be included in the regular government schools with their peers. However, current conditions make inclusion nearly impossible, if not detrimental. For example, the bathrooms at the local primary schools are absolutely disgusting. Imagine trying to crawl across a feces ridden floor to attempt to urinate in a hole when you cannot stand above and have nothing to hold onto to hold you up. Furthermore, the teachers at these schools have refused to help a person with physical disabilities go to do such things as go to the bathroom (Bertha Haas, Huruma's founder, has already tried).

So, with the public school not being a viable option, I have been wondering about some of the local Catholic schools. After all, isn't it the work of Christ to care for the marginalized and the disenfranchised? Aren't we showing love for our Lord when we care for "one of the least of these"? Education of students with disabilities should be one of the priorities of Catholic Education, here in Mwanza and everywhere.

There are a couple of possibilities for sites here in Mwanza, but I am not totally sure they are ready yet. My request is that you bring these issues before the Lord, that miraculous movements may happen in order that students like Helena and Edward can learn in appropriate settings, alongside their peers, without hardships.

As always, thanks for all of your support and prayers.. We hope you and yours are having a very blessed year.

IEP's are progressing!

A rare sighting in Tanzania!  An IEP meeting run completely by Tanzanian teachers over an IEP written by them.  These IEP's are critical to delivering education that is tailored to the specific needs of each of our students.  I am very proud of these teachers who have jumped on board and feel empowered to be designing the goals and objectives for their students, in turn, driving their lesson planning.

Did you know that $15 buys an IEP for a student here in Mwanza?  In the states teachers can receive more than $100 stipend for the IEP meetings they lead.  Help show your support of the budding movement of specialized education for students with disabilities today. Go to www.mklm.org/Rossers and be sure and put Huruma Special Unit IEPs into the comments section of your donation.  You could also mail your check to: Huruma Special Unit, PO 5021, Mwanza Tanzania  E.A.C.    Karibu!

Why is this phone charging in the classroom?

Why is this phone being charged at school?   Well, it's because many of our teachers don't have electricity in their homes.  Can you imagine doing the difficult, but extremely important, work of teaching students with severe disabilities and then have to go home to a house without electricity?

Perhaps you'd like to write one of our dedicated staff an encouraging letter to let them know that many people in the world think they are doing something great?  Pick a teacher from the list below and send it to

Teacher's Name
Huruma Special Unit
PO 5021
Mwanza Tanzania

Our teachers:

Godfrey
Dotto
Agnes
Frank
Mary Maridadi
Erick
Magdelena
Matilda
Eliza
and Andrew (the director)

Thanks for your support!

Up the Mountain

It's been a busy week, but on Wednesday, the liturgical reading from the gospel caught my eye.  Here it is Saturday morning but I  (David) wanted to take some time to comment on it, since I found it very meaningful.

From Matthew 15

At that time:

Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee,went up on the mountain, and sat down there.Great crowds came to him,having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute,and many others.They placed them at his feet, and he cured them.The crowds were amazed when they saw the mute speaking,the deformed made whole,the lame walking,and the blind able to see,and they glorified the God of Israel

While I wish to God that I could just reach out my hand, touch one of our students, Edward Apolo, on the shoulder and he would be healed of his cerebral palsy (and believe me I pray he gets cured), I certainly do believe there is much we can all do to bring healing to the lives of people with disabilities.   

And it starts with us.  Jesus never would have been able to cure the people he did had the crowds not known he would receive them.  It strikes me as I read over the passage that Jesus did not go out and find these people with mobility issues, but that their friends and family brought them to Him.  That's a lot of faith and compassion to carry or guide your friend or son who can't walk up a mountain to have them meet with Jesus.  What efforts are we making to bring our friends and family members with disabilities to simply a better life experience, let alone an encounter with their Savior.

Here in Tanzania, we are still struggling with this concept.  Schools are integrated with kids with disabilities in name only.  Literally you are barred from coming to school if you have a disability.  Furthermore, programs that do provide support for people with disabilities are usually boarding schools, where more well to do parents can send their students off and forget about them for a good amount of time.  But at Huruma Special Unit, we are trying to make a place where parents and society can bring their family and friends to a place of growth, of education, and recognition of the God given dignity.

Yesterday, the parents of the students met for their bi-annual meeting.  Huruma's principal was somewhat upset by the low turnout (12 of 42 families showed up).  I also was somewhat disappointed, but in my broken Swahili, I tried to cheer them up by telling them that they were the ones that would make the difference.  In America, almost seventy years ago we were at similar levels of treatment for people with disabilities and it was the parents that pushed the government to make serious changes (not that America is perfect in this issue).  Hopefully some of my message came through.   

Still, the faith of these 12 parents who came despite the societal message that they are wasting their time, despite the economic pressures they face just trying to feed their families, despite the long walk up to Huruma with the imminent threat of rain (and boy did it rain hard during the meeting!) presses me to invite you.

This Christmas season will you join those crowds of 2000 years ago and these 12 (and more) parents of Tanzania?  Your prayers and your financial support can make a huge difference.  Pray for courage for these parents and that others will take heart to join them in bringing quality education to children with disabilities.  Pray that support would come in for next year so that Huruma can continue to pay its trained, dedicated staff in their calling ($40 a month covers all expenses for one child- mklm.org/Rossers).  And pray, most importantly, that these children would come to know the curing power of Jesus love.  Miracles do happen.

Thank you and Happy Advent

Parents of students at Huruma at Friday's meeting.

Just wanted to keep you posted on the progress of Yasmine, one of our students with cerebral palsy at Huruma who is making great progress learning to walk.  As you can see (from this better quality video) she has been climbing down stairs all by herself!  Stay tuned for when she starts taking steps on her own!

Walking down stairs!

At Huruma Special Unit (David's school) we have opened up a new classroom at the Pasiansi Parish to alleviate the cost of transporting students who live far from our school in Nyasaka.  One of the hidden benefits of this classroom is the stairs right next to it are great tools for physical therapy.  A woman from the Netherlands named Esther, herself a physical therapist, suggested we use them as such when she visited on Wednesday.  Here is Yasmine, who up until now could not walk on her own, discovering how to walk down stairs with as little help as possible.  As you can see she was very happy!

Sorry, the video starts out with high contrast, but gets better contrast the further she gets down the stairs.