Dear Friends and Supporters.
I have received my termly report from Florence Layet, MPM’s
music therapist in Gulu, and I would like to share her thoughts and comments
with you to show you how positive MPM’s work in Gulu is. It’s pretty amazing that MPM works on a
shoe-string budget but is being so influential in children’s lives and also in
the professional lives of the teachers and carers who work with the children,
changing their often negative views of the children they work with and helping
them to see value in their work.
The Remand home
is where teenagers go when they have done something wrong (like a prison for
young offenders) and takes people from all over northern Uganda, an area about
two times the size of England.
Achievements:
“music as therapy has given chance for the children to open
up their problems enabling me to give counselling and guidance”
“Music has made them build self-confidence even those with different
languages”
“Music has also inspired them and made them understand that
recovery from psychological trauma and stress is very important for one to
rebuild hope and the sense of empowerment needed to gain and regain control of one’s
physical, mental and emotional life.”
“They have also been inspired by music to not wait for
things on a silver plate i.e. they always organize themselves for sessions and make
it happen at whatever time they feel they need to relax, chase boredom, create
happiness and joy and to avoid minds from negative thinking”
Challenges:
“Language barriers with children who come from the whole of
the north of Uganda and speak different local languages or dialects.
Behaviour is a problem because the children can be
manipulative or provocative.
Last term some young people broke out of the home and stole
a guard’s motorbike. These young people
were the ones who rallied all the others and encouraged them to participate in
music and art therapy so we are feeling their loss.”
PRISON PRIMARY
SCHOOL – not a school for prisoners but a school with a special needs
department next to a prison.
“Apio was so vulgar in her languages before but now she can
respect and discipline her words to others. She always runs to welcome me simply because
she has picked much interests in musical activities e.g. song practice,
gymnastic that we now do once every week which has really changed her character
in that she can take turns, socialize and play with friends, share and accept
advice and even follow instructions including counselling and guidance.”
“Ojok is very shy and keeps laughing/ smiling all the time.
He used not to say a word but due to my efforts in creating activities that
helps one to vocalize, like making musical sounds he has now been helped to say
some few words”
“Music has done great for Peter in that it has helped shape
his jumpy, rough and harming life styles. He now shows his anger on the drums
when he is emotional and feels angry.”
“It has been a great joy working with special needs children
and to see some change or improvement but it has not been very easy handling
them at all.”
(Names changed)
LAROO SCHOOL - a school for children with hearing
impairments that uses sign language
“Music has helped those with problems in sign language to learn
faster and it has also been amazing self-esteem booster for the shy children.”
“Music has strengthened these children to express themselves
and their feelings freely to me and has also made them to disclose secrets
between them that are really so dangerous for their age that even their own
daily classroom teachers are not aware of it.”
CUBU PRIMARY
SCHOOL – a rural school in an area that was badly hit by the rebels
during the war.
Challenges:
The children are often disobedient, shouting over us and
each other, like to take revenge or to fight and are aggressive. They are resistant to change and do not like
to learn. We don’t have enough
confidentiality because other children from other disorganized classes come and
look through the window at what we are doing.
When it rains we find it difficult to get to Cubu Primary because the
road is of such bad condition.
CONCLUSION
“In conclusion MPM’s work which is therapeutic is changing
lots of lives in Gulu every year and the most important part of it is that we
have been able to practice in the best way that suits the situation of the
children we are working with in music therapy, which in our observation, has
helped us to help them get the most out of their lives, like their peers.”
MPM
IS GETTING LOW ON FUNDS BUT WOULD LOVE TO CONTINUE THE GREAT WORK THAT IS BEING
DONE BY FLORENCE AND VINCE (art therapist) SO PLEASE SUPPORT THIS WORK WITH A
DONATION THAT GOES DIRECTLY TOWARDS THEIR SALARIES AND MATERIALS USED IN THE
WORK.
Contact
Bethan on bethano@yahoo.com for details
of how to donate or set up a standing order.
