Celestine was kind enough to meet us at Songwe Airport. She took us safely to the Ileje District Education Officer and District Commission Officer, from where we had a 4 wheel drive car all the way to Mtula primary school.
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The meeting with the Ileje District Commission Officer was very special. She did not know about Celestine nor the NOREC project before, but she claimed to have a special heart for children with disabilities. Wondering why there were so few children with disabilities around, she had started to search for these children. The search resulted in discovery of 300 children with disabilities, who had been hidden away. Now she wanted to do something to create awareness and improve the situation of these children, and even to open a school for them. She was very happy to meet Celestine, and to include her in her plans.
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When we finally arrived Mtula primary school, children, teachers and parents had been waiting for us for several hours after normal school hours - but they were all smiling! We were told that no white people had been to visit them before, so we felt very honored.
Like her fellow alumni project participants, Celestine had done a great job to implement human rights for the children at her working station, including outreach work in Mtula village. Enthusiastically, she works to create awareness about children with disabilities, their needs and rights. She especially focuses on the fact that all children have the right to go to school, and the right to be protected against violence.
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Because we came to visit on the village market day, which seemed to be women's business in this area, we did not meet any mothers. However, we had the pleasure of meeting some dedicated fathers of children with disabilities. They were well prepared, and based on their points of view, they presented several important subjects about challenges and possibilities of children with disabilities in Tanzania.
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