Your support empowers children with disabilities and their families, providing life-changing resources, advocacy, and training for a brighter tomorrow.
Your donation fuels accessible healthcare, education, and inclusion programs that transform lives.
Your generosity is changing lives—one donation at a time. Together, we are breaking barriers, empowering families, and creating a more inclusive future for children with disabilities.
The Children’s Disability Training and Advocacy Network (CDTAN) is a registered non-profit, community-based organization founded in Uganda. Its vision is to create a society where every child with a disability is valued, lives with dignity, and enjoys equal rights and opportunities.
The Akwenda Intervention Program led to the establishment of CDTAN. This program, piloted in Uganda’s Iganga and Mayuge districts, addresses the gap in knowledge and access to services for children with disabilities in Sub-Saharan Africa. A key component of the program is the carer2carer approach, which utilizes parents of children with disabilities as agents of change. This component was adapted from a series of workshops developed by Malamulele Onward in South Africa, tailored to suit the Ugandan context. Other components of the program include therapist-led workshops that follow the carer2carer sessions, goal-directed training, provision of technical assistive devices, and advocacy for behavioral and social change.
Through advocacy, training, and essential support, CDTAN is transforming the lives of children with disabilities and their families. But we can’t do it alone. Your support makes all the difference.
At CDTAN, we are committed to transforming lives by addressing key challenges faced by children with disabilities. Your support helps provide essential services that ensure every child gets the care, education, and dignity they deserve.
We equip children with disabilities with assistive devices such as wheelchairs and mobility aids, enabling them to live more active and fulfilling lives.
Education is a right, not a privilege. We advocate for inclusive schools and provide training for caregivers to support children’s learning.
We work to improve access to affordable healthcare, rehabilitation, and therapy services, ensuring children receive the medical attention they need.
Proper nutrition is key to survival and growth. We provide food assistance programs to ensure children with disabilities receive the nutrients they need.
Every donation, every act of kindness, and every moment of advocacy brings us closer to a world where children with disabilities are valued, empowered, and included.
(CDTAN) is engaging, empowering, enabling growth and independence among children living with disabilities and their families.
Copyright © 2025 CDTAN
An inventive and dynamic communications person with three years experience, with high impact internal and external communications for diverse audiences.
Dedicated to unitizing knowledge of social media communications to manage online impressions and produce relevant content.
Namaganda Lukia Hamid is a specialist in Public Health, with a strong focus on epidemiology and research methodologies. She obtained her PhD in Public Health from the Makerere University School of Public Health, where she also completed her Master of Public Health (MPH) and Bachelor of Environmental Health Science (BEHS) degrees. Her research primarily investigates health disparities affecting children and adolescents with disabilities, as well as issues related to injury-related disabilities, rehabilitation, and community living. Dr. Namaganda has contributed to esteemed international journals with her research findings and is proficient in academic writing. Furthermore, Dr. Hamid is an active member of the Research Ethics Review Board at the Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU), where she plays a vital role in ensuring the adherence to and advancement of ethical standards in research.
He is a qualified physiotherapist with notable experience in pediatric rehabilitation spanning over five years. He has been involved with the Akwenda intervention program at Makerere University School of Public Health, where he served as a trainer for both therapists and parents/caregivers who aimed to become facilitators or trainers themselves. He continues to engage with parents at Pro-Uganda: New Life Orthopaedic Centre in Mukono.
Is a human resources graduate who is enthusiastic about engaging with individuals and fostering organizational growth.
He is a dedicated professional social worker with a strong commitment to advocating for the rights of individuals with disabilities, a field in which he has accumulated over seven years of valuable experience in community-based rehabilitation. He has served as a Community-Based Rehabilitation Officer for the Akwenda intervention program affiliated with Makerere University School of Public Health, where he created a communication and advocacy component, led various communication and advocacy sessions, and also co-authored. http://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.16258. Which was developed and validated to evaluate the involvement of children with disabilities at both family and community levels. Additionally, he worked as a social worker with Ekisa Ministries and Children’s Home, where he championed the rights of children with disabilities, initiated community center outreach programs that allowed children with disabilities and their caregivers to access physiotherapy services and facilitate family reunification. He has also held positions as a field officer with BUVAD (Butakola Village Development Association), worked with Busia Youth and Children’s Ministries Uganda, and was a research assistant at World Vision. Throughout all these roles, he has consistently focused on advocacy, promotion of rights, empowerment and capacity building to help communities lead dignified and meaningful lives. Furthermore, he has received additional training in child protection from UNICEF, completed the Beyond Suffering program from Africa Renewable University, studied paper technology, obtained Good Clinical Practice certification from the NIDA Trial Network, participated in an Entrepreneurship and Business Skills program through Enterprise Uganda, and attended a Parenting Class at Abide Family Center.
Is a nursing officer by profession with 8 years of experience working at Jinja National Referral Hospital in the pediatric ward, where she addresses early childhood complications and congenital abnormalities. Her additional responsibilities include performing phlebotomy and aseptic sample collection, managing early childhood illnesses, and conducting emergency triage. She salso assits in resuscitating infants and managing burns, sickle cell crises, as well as anemia. Additionally, she provides care for severe acute malnutrition and moderate acute malnutrition.
She is a public health expert and clinical researcher with 12 years of experience in HIV/AIDS care and treatment, clinical research, and is currently employed as a health consultant with BDO East Africa, working under the Office of the Prime Minister to evaluate local government performance. Presently, she is pursuing her PhD in Public Health at JOOUST University in Kenya, supported by the East African Scholarship. In addition, she holds a postgraduate diploma in Global Health, and her aspiration is to achieve good health for all, driven by her passion for humanity; her motto is “One Health, One World.” She draws inspiration from individuals who consistently persevere. Her areas of expertise include *TB Clinical Management *Quality Improvement *Accurate Data Documentation *Program Management *Health System Strengthening *
Dr. Gillian Saloojee is a pediatric physiotherapist who focuses on assisting children and young adults with disabilities and their families in rural, under-resourced African environments. She founded and previously served as the Executive Director of Malamulele Onward, a non-profit organization that offers therapy services and training for caregivers of children with cerebral palsy in impoverished rural areas of Southern Africa. She is presently engaged in various research initiatives aimed at children and youth with disabilities in low-resource settings and acts as an early intervention consultant for UNICEF.
Hans Forssberg serves as a Professor of Neuroscience at Karolinska Institutet and is a Consultant in Neuropaediatrics at Astrid Lindgren Children’s Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden. He played a key role in establishing the International Alliance of Academies of Childhood Disability and has held the position of its inaugural president. He has previously chaired the European Academy of Childhood Disability, served as dean, and was vice president of Karolinska Institutet; he has also been a member of the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine.
His studies have concentrated on children who experience neurodevelopmental disorders; covering translational research related to the mechanisms behind motor and cognitive impairments, as well as clinical research focused on creating innovative methods for assessment and intervention. In recent years, he has redirected his attention towards research on the global health of children with disabilities, especially in low- and middle-income nations. He has authored approximately 250 original research papers and ranks among the most cited global authorities on neurodevelopmental disorders (over 36,500 citations; h-index=86; Google Scholar). Currently, he serves as an expert adviser to UNICEF on a project that aims to formulate, execute, and assess global recommendations for the universal early identification and intervention for children experiencing developmental delays and disabilities, specifically intended for implementation in resource-limited environments.
He is a qualified Physiotherapist and serves as the Director of Agape Rehabilitation Initiative Uganda, driven by a commitment to help others in every manner that God allows him to. His experience includes working at Cure Hospital, Ekisa Ministries and Children’s Home, Kagando Mission Hospital, and Sports Club Villa. Additionally, he has received training in trauma healing, paper technology, and holds a certificate as a trainer of trainers for pastors and leaders in biblical studies.
He is a professional social worker committed to utilizing opportunities and resources to provide servant leadership and transformational services, emphasizing child well-being and community development. Currently, he holds the position of Project Director at the Vumgbala Child Development Centre, a Compassion-assisted initiative in Moyo district. He has previously worked as a program officer for Initiative for Peace and Development Uganda, a community facilitator for the Water School Busia Project, and a child sponsorship development assistant at World Vision in Busia area program. He has also received additional training in monitoring and evaluation and education.
