A rehabilitation centre for victims of the nodding syndrome has registered increased physical and mental activity in the sufferers as a result of music therapy.
According to Caesar Okot of the Hope for Humans Rehabilitation Centre in Gulu, the programme has also improved the children’s creativity, physical fitness and socialisation. It mainly involves music, dance and drama.
“The children are taught how to dance and the repetitive movements help boost their memory, as they try to memorise the different steps in the dance,” explains Okot.
Okot says they have admitted 36 patients at the centre in Odek under the programme while 35 are on the outreach program. At the centre, children receive food supplements to boost their nutrition, special needs education and psychosocial support.
Cosmas Can Ogura and his sister Sarah Atim from Awere Sub County in Pader district are some of the beneficiaries of the programme. They were admitted to the centre on request by their mother last year, after she lost hope in them.
“Since June 2015, we have seen tremendous change in her life. Sarah is a very active child in and outside class, a good team player to the fellow kids, cooperative to the teachers and very supportive to the fellow peers. She is a self-motivated child and a performer in class,” narrates Okot.
Meanwhile, Pader district leaders have questioned the differences in funding to the affected districts.
Some district councilors wondered why Kitgum and Lamwo had received the more money at about 119 Million Shillings and 174 Million Shillings respectively, compared to Pader’s 35 Million Shillings. Pader has the highest number of cases.
In response, Pader district health officer Alex Layoo said Kitgum hosts the regional referral centre for all nodding patients and a rehabilitation centre.
He added that this year, Kitgum is also expected to host a team of researchers from Makerere University on the syndrome which cause has still baffled researchers to date.
According to Layoo, Lamwo district on the other hand has a training programme in its budget this year, which will take almost 71 Million Shillings, hence justifying the huge funding gap.
Meanwhile other affected district like Amuru will receive 16 Million Shillings, Gulu 22 Million Shillings, Oyam and Lira districts 8 Million to finance the nodding syndrome activities this year.
