Little People in Uganda

Dwarfism is the medical name for people of short stature also known as little people. Dwarfism is defined as being less than 147 centimeters tall due to some kind of medical condition. The correct way to refer to people with dwarfism is little people, although little people do have names.

There are more than 300 distinct types of dwarfism. Approximately 70% or 7 out of every 10 little people have one type of dwarfism called achondroplasia. In this condition the bones do not grow in length correctly. However the bones grow normally in other respects. 

Annet Nakyeyune Tibaleka the Founder

Little People of Uganda with her daughter

Love Annmarie

Most of the conditions that cause short stature cannot be treated, though a few may be treated with growth hormone or bone surgery. Growth hormone will only work if the person has not stopped growing.

It should be noted that short stature without a medical disorder is not considered dwarfism. The Batwa and other pygmy groups are smaller than average. They cannot be considered to have dwarfism because they are proportionately smaller.

Achondroplasia is rare, with about  4 to 15 births per 100,000 (Wikipedia) having the condition. Based on a population of approximately 38,000,000 people. I estimated there are between 1,520 and 5,700 little people in Uganda.

Dwarfism does not affect intelligence. Little people are normal people that have short stature and the consequences of short stature.

The most severe consequences of dwarfism are probably psychosocial, the attitudes of society which may be more disabling. In an interview in the Daily Monitor, Joel Musana, who is 32, and works as a liaison officer at Little People of Uganda, a non-government organisation advocating the development and rights of little people, tells the following story about the

time he applied for a job in a bank after completing his studies at university but was denied the job despite having the necessary qualifications.
“I was very hurt. After the interview, I told a former coursemate about it. He had not applied for the job yet I had performed better than him but when he walked there a few days later, he was given the job.”
He gives another example of how he went to Mulago hospital for treatment only to be ignored by a health worker who thought he was a child simply because he was shorter than the counter at the reception. It took the intervention of a guard for the receptionist to attend to him. 

The author of this interview notes that these are common occurrences for little people, Joel Musana rapidly gave 15 examples of prejudice and stigma during the course of the interview.

Annet Nakyeyune Tibaleka the Founder of Little People of Uganda says the following

“Whenever you find yourself in a situation that is prone to misconception, which in most cases breeds stigma, seek to know as much as possible about that situation. It is only until you overcome ignorance, stigma, shame and denial, then can you be able to fight for the rights of others in similar situation”.