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Hi!
PHEW! what a month September has been! This month's instalment of AbleChildAfrica news brings you updates from our child to child project in Uganda, showcases the achievements of one of our amazing partners, Fred Ouko of ANDY in Kenya and snippets from the world's toughest, muddiest challenge, which the AbleChildAfrica team tackled head first this month! T
So! Be the first to read all about it here and happy reading! Don't forget that you can find out more updates on our exciting projects on our website.
Thank you for your support from everyone at AbleChildAfrica.
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Spotlight on our Partner: USDC Uganda
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 This month, as part of our DFID Innovation funded Inclusive Education project in Uganda, USDC and our project partner Child to Child delivered the first round of Teacher Training. 18 master trainers across the 9 partner schools attended a 5 day trainer of trainers workshop in the innovative Child to Child approach, learning how to engage school children in participatory activities to begin to break down barriers so that all children in the community can access state primary schooling, including those with a disability. The second focus of the workshop was an introduction to Inclusive Education practises and approaches; so that once disabled children are enrolled in school the teachers have the skills and resources to support them within the classroom to help them reach their full potential. These skills will be passed on to 167 teachers of the 9 pilot schools in the coming months and will continue to be built over a series of support visits to classrooms as well as follow on training throughout the 3 year project life span. Alongside the teacher training, USDC will continue to build the capacity of Parent Support Groups in the districts to work alongside government officials to advocate for expansion of Inclusive Education practices on a district and national level.
To read on please click here.
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Spotlight on our people: Fred Ouko
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Our partner organisations are run by incredible people. They are hardworking, driven and work tirelessly to support the disabled children and young people they work with. A lot of them juggle a lot of things at once, being pillars of their community for example, or mothers and fathers to their own children. None of them juggle more than the Executive Director of our partner organisation Action Network for Disabled Youth (ANDY), Fredrick Ouko. Fred is not only the leader of one of the Kenya's largest youth advocacy groups, but has also been selected as an Ashoka Fellow, and is a Youth Action Net fellow, a US-based programme that recognises global youth who are social entrepreneurs. He also spent time earlier in the year travelling to Geneva as a key speaker at the 22nd Session of the Human Rights Council, where he delivered passionate speeches about the situation for young disabled Kenyans and their ability to access the employment market.
You can imagine our delight the other day when Fred tweeted us to say he had made the Kenyan national paper, the Daily Nation. You can read the fantastic coverage of Fred here.
To continue reading about Fred and the great work he is doing with ANDY, you can visit our website.
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Taking on the Tough Mudder Challenge
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 A sunny weekend in Wales, unfortunately, didn't dry up all the mud on the 12 mile obstacle course designed by the special forces. So Team AbleChildAfrica battled each obstacle with spirit and determination; climbing over 12 foot walls, through tunnels of mud and water, through skips filled with ice, through a freezing cold river and traversing monkey bars that had been helpfully pre-greased. The real challenge for the team came in the middle 5 or 6 miles of the course as they pushed, pulled and carried themselves and the wheelchair through the forest of steep hills of thick muddy track. The spirit of the team was contagious and hundreds of fellow competitors stopped to support, offering energy bars and a helping hand wherever possible.
As the team crossed the finish line, getting electrocuted by the final obstacle in the process, Anne was left to reflect (on national television as well) about how the Tough Mudder challenges reflected some of the barriers that society, particularly in Africa, poses for disabled people. The disabled children we work with have a number of challenges; lack of access to inclusive education, discrimination from the community, lack of infrastructure that is accessible.
You can read more about the incredible challenge and team work here.
To join our team for 2014 please email amber@ablechildafrica.org.uk
The challenge is over but our fundraising isn't!! Please TEXT MUDD13 followed by the amount you want to donate (£1, £2, £3, £5, £10) to 70070
Thanks! 
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Post-2015 discussions in New York
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This month, AbleChildAfrica's Director Jane Anthony 'multi-tasker extraordinaire'', went from the muddy fields of Wales where she had been crawling under barbed wire and swimming in ice water whilst taking part in Tough Mudder, straight to Heathrow to catch a plane to New York to take part in a series of high profile meetings with representatives around the world, to discuss the future of disability and development.
Jane took part in the UN High Level Meeting on Disability and Development to discuss the need for disabled and marginalised groups to take a higher place in discussions on what will take the place of the Millenium Development Goals (MDG's) when they come to an end in 2015. This meeting unveiled widespread agreement amongst civil society organisations and member states that inequalities in society are no longer acceptable.
Jane also participated in the UNICEF forum on the Global Partnership on Children with Disabilities, where AbleChildAfrica represents the International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC) on the inclusive education task force. The week was capped off by a special UN event on the MDG's and post-2015 agenda and a side event organised by the IDDC and International Disability Alliance on including the voices of disabled people in the UN development agenda.
Whilst it is a great start to the process, with many organisations coming together from around the world to share expertise and collaborate, it is certainly only the beginning and rest assured that AbleChildAfrica will continue to push for the voices of disabled children to be heard across the world and to keep up the momentum in the fight for equality and inclusion.
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Get Involved!!
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 VIRGIN LONDON MARATHON 2014 - The public ballots have now closed! So if you are still looking for a place and think you can raise £1500 then look no further than the AbleChildAfrica team! For more information on how to sign up please contact amber@ablechildafrica.org.uk
We are looking for University students to get involved and pilot an AbleChildAfrica student group for us with your student union. If you are keen to get involved or know someone who might be, please get in touch with usman@ablechildafrica.org.uk.
Thanks!
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