For the past two years we have done some great work for the children with autism in the slums of mathare in nairobi kenya.
This has been enabled through your donations and gifts to our program.Throughout the year 2018 we have had up to 80 children receive free expert therapy.These are children whos parents cannot afford basic therapy services due to their little income.They are not in formal employment and hence depend on seasonal jobs which do not give them more than three dollars a day.
Our biggest challenge so far is paying rent for the premises which is 150USD a month.Then the motivation money for our volunteers to cater for their lunch and transportation money.These are volunteers who help in handling the children in between the therapies.The volunteers also include the occupational therapists,Speech therapists and nurses.
Your donations are doing amazing work on the ground here in Kenya.The money has gone towards the betterment of the lives of children with autism from very humble backgrounds.They can now attend therapy which is free and their parents can have some time off as we fully take care of the children.
If you can make your donation to be reccuring every month then our rent problem will be solved.We also request you to take up the rent burden for the therapy center,the food burden,because we need to be providing the children and the parents with autism friendly food and also the burden of paying one professional to be a permanent employee of the therapy center.The salary for the occupational therapist to be fully employed at the therapy center would require 250USD a month.May God touch you and use you to help accomplish this work.
Thank you once again in advance.
Regards,
Ruth Tenai
Over the past one year,the contributions we have received from Global giving have made a big positive impact to the children with autism in the informal settlements of Mathare in Nairobi Kenya.
These are children who before the free therapy program was established they weren't getting any therapy since they could not afford the prices set by the hospitals around. The parents of these children with autism were for long torn between taking care of the autistic child or fending for their other children who are neuro typical.
The establishment of the therapy center in mathare has made gains and changed lives.Every single cent that well wishers have given through this platform has been put into very good use and the receipts and invoices are all properly recorded.
From the last two disbursements from Global giving total up to 800USD.We budgeted 300USD into rent payment for the premises where the free therapy is offered. 200USD went to play toys for the children and 300USD went into feeding and transport money for the volunteers who come to the therapy center every single day to offer their services for free to the children.
From Step Up 4 Autism we would like to very much thank you for the continued support. We are far from achieving our ultimate goal of free therapy country wide in Kenya for children with autism and other developmental disorders. In this journey of making a difference in the lives of children with autism we wholeheartedly invite you to walk with us. Thank you .
For the past one year since our founding as step up 4 Autism therapy center,we have been able to not only learn a lot about the Kenyan population but also to understand them and their key challenges.Among the most traumatic is the burden of a child living with autism.
Many a times the parents of children with autism are put between a rock and a hard place.They are expected to be there for the child with autism while at the same time to keep the rest of the family happy.
The work we do in the slum of mathare in Nairobi Kenya is great,we offer free therapy services for children with autism and economic empowerment for their parents.
All this is possible through the monthly and random donations that you make to our project from time to time.Through your effort we are able to touch 15 lives per week as we deliver the therapy services.
We say thank you very much for helping us help.
Step Up 4 Autism
STEP UP 4 AUTSIM
P.O. BOX 15039-00100 NAIROBI
email:stepup4autism.info@gmail.com
Date: 25th April 2018
REPORT ON THE PROGRESS OF THE STEP UP 4 AUTISM THERAPY CENTER IN MATHARE, NAIROBI KENYA
INTRODUCTION
The steppers therapy center is an initiative by the Step Up 4 Autism a community based organization in Mathare slums Nairobi Kenya that seeks to bring the very expensive therapy services to children with autism and other disabilities for free. This program is running under volunteer ship of various young people in the universities and colleges with in the Kenyan education system under a nonprofit registered in Kenya as Ready Aiders Foundation
The main aim of the program remains making sure that children with autism and other developmental and physical disabilities get the necessary and basic therapy services to take them through life. These are children from poor backgrounds whose parents live below the poverty line and have other children also apart from these who are challenged; the implication of such a family setting is that the challenged children are often ignored as they are considered not productive to the family at any level.
As an organization our program is focused towards changing that and directing more attention to the special child and their special needs of therapy and favorable diet being taken into account not only by the families and community around them but also the government through its legislations and policies. So far we are educating parents and caregivers on the best way forward in terms of handling their special children and their needs.
This program also recognizes that parents with special children need counseling to help them handle frustration and stress and the stigma they face that’s why our program also includes parents and caregivers counseling sessions.
The therapy center opens on; Tuesdays, Wednesday, Thursdays and Saturdays as from 9a.m to 4pm.
METHODOLOGY
The therapy center space is a one room subdivided into two parts, the front room acts as an office and also the counselling room for the parents and care givers while the back room acts as the therapy place for the children with autism. Due to limited resources from the time we rolled out this therapy project in July 2017 we had been able to only offer behavior modification therapy. But after receiving the donations from global giving we were able to expand the services to occupational therapy and added also play therapy which is also critical in the management of the autism disorder.
Each therapy session lasts for 45 minutes each child at atime.so that in a day we are able to serve six to eight children. For the regular children in our list we have created a system whereby they all come to the therapy center on a rotational basis so that each of them gets each of the therapy offered.
On Saturdays the team of the children in our therapy project and others also come to the therapy center for the joint play therapy.
The system we use for management is a volunteer system whereby professionals in the autism field each give 45 minutes of their time a week to one child at the therapy center. In return the therapy center offers them transport money and lunch as a sign of appreciation for their volunteer time.
BUDGET
This is the breakdown of how the money received from global giving has been put to use at the therapy center so far.The total amount we received from the global giving team totals to 31,674 Kenya shillings that is approximately (316.74) USD.As of this date we have spent 31,674ksh (316.74USD) to put up the basics that we require for a functional therapy center.
ITEM
UNIT
IN USD
KSH
Volunteers lunch and transport
12
180
18,000
Therapy wear(white coats)
3
60
6,000
Books and play toys
18
76
7,600
TOTAL
33
316
31,600
Note: the exchange rate used in the figures is 1 USD is equal to 100KSH
All the figures with decimals have been rounded off to two decimal places
SUCCESSES ACHIEVED THROUGH THE GLOBAL GIVING DONATION
From the donation we received through the global giving fundraising where donors from all over the world each contributed a certain amount to the project, we have been able to do the following:
OUR CHALLENGES SO FAR.
Among the challenges we face in the implementation of the project, the following stand out.
CONCLUSION
The work that you support by donating goes a long way not only to improve the lives of the children in the autism spectrum but also in giving hope to their caregivers, parents and families. Very many children in the spectrum from poverty stricken homes all over Kenya cannot access services to improve their well-being and conditions of living, their parents carry the burden of the stigma that comes with having children with disabilities or disorders in the African setting.
Our services are purely on a charity basis and the need to make a difference, we invite you once again to support our mission by being a regular donor and when you have time and the resources to come and volunteer at the center as you serve the children whom many have neglected and abused.
We are looking forward to partnering with companies ,colleges, universities and churches so that we establish a strong volunteers network which will be coming to Kenya to help us in fulfilling this mission and calling that we respond to every day by dedicating time and resources towards children with autism and other disorders .If you can be the bridge between us and the partnerships or funding ,we would really appreciate and the children though not aware would be glad for the help you would have brought them.
Once again a big thank you for making this project possible through your time and contributions. We view you as a partner and a friend.
A photo of Titus Ngugi (clinical psychologist) giving therapy to Nancy at the center
Rukia Hassan (special needs teacher) taking her time with derrick at the center.
Lady in red jacket (Jane, a parent ),young girl in black trouser and jacket(Faith, a child with autism),lady in blue jeans and black t-shirt(Florence, an occupational therapist),gentleman in red t-shirt (Kenneth Apopa, the project coordinator) standing outside the therapy room.
Report Compiled By:
Ruth Tenai
Founder and CEO
Step Up 4 Autism, Kenya
And
Kenneth Apopa
Coordinator
Step Up 4 Autism Therapy Center
For More Information Contact Us:
+254702623359 Kenneth Apopa
+18134452190 Ruth Tenai
REPORT ON THE PROGRESS OF THE STEPPERS THERAPY CENTER IN MATHARE ,NAIROBI KENYA
INTRODUCTION
The steppers therapy center is an initiative by the Step Up 4 Autism a community based organization in Mathare slums Nairobi Kenya that seeks to bring the very expensive therapy services to children with autism and other disabilities for free. This program is running under volunteer ship of various young people in the universities and colleges with in the Kenyan education system.
The main aim of the program remains making sure that children with autism and other developmental and physical disabilities get the necessary and basic therapy services to take them through life. These are children from poor backgrounds whose parents live below the poverty line and have other children also apart from these who are challenged; the implication of such a family setting is that the challenged children are often ignored as they are considered not productive to the family at any level.
As an organization our program is focused towards changing that and directing more attention to the special child and their special needs of therapy and favorable diet being taken into account not only by the families and community around them but also the government through its legislations and policies. So far we are educating parents and caregivers on the best way forward in terms of handling their special children and their needs.
This program also recognizes that parents with special children need counseling to help them handle frustration and stress and the stigma they face that’s why our program also includes parents and caregivers counseling sessions.
The therapy center opens on; Tuesdays, Wednesday, Thursdays and Saturdays as from 9a.m to 4pm.
METHODOLOGY
The therapy center space is a one room subdivided into two parts, the front room acts as an office and also the counselling room for the parents and care givers while the back room acts as the therapy place for the children with autism. Due to limited resources from the time we rolled out this therapy project in July 2017 we had been able to only offer behavior modification therapy. But after receiving the donations from global giving we were able to expand the services to occupational therapy and added also play therapy which is also critical in the management of the autism disorder.
Each therapy session lasts for 45 minutes each child at atime.so that in a day we are able to serve six to eight children. For the regular children in our list we have created a system whereby they all come to the therapy center on a rotational basis so that each of them gets each of the therapy offered.
On Saturdays the team of the children in our therapy project and others also come to the therapy center for the joint play therapy.
The system we use for management is a volunteer system whereby professionals in the autism field each give 45 minutes of their time a week to one child at the therapy center. In return the therapy center offers them transport money and lunch as a sign of appreciation for their volunteer time.
BUDGET
This is the breakdown of how the money received from global giving has been put to use at the therapy center so far.The total amount we received from the global giving team totals to 452,000 Kenya shillings that is approximately (4418.38) USD.As of this date we have spent 400,000ksh (3910.07USD) to put up the basics that we require for a functional therapy center and as balance we have 52,000ksh (508.31USD).
ITEM
UNIT
IN USD
KSH
Division of the rooms
488.76
50,000
Carpets
2
977.52
100,000
Volunteers lunch and transport
488.76
50,000
Therapy wear(white coats)
97.75
10,000
Books and play toys
391.01
40,000
projector
1
977.52
100,000
Therapy table
2
488.76
50,000
TOTAL
3910.08
400,000
Note: the exchange rate used in the figures is 1 USD is equal to 102.30KSH
All the figures with decimals have been rounded off to two decimal places
SUCCESSES ACHIEVED THROUGH THE GLOBAL GIVING DONATION
From the donation we received through the global giving fundraising where donors from all over the world each contributed a certain amount to the project, we have been able to do the following:
OUR CHALLENGES SO FAR.
Among the challenges we face in the implementation of the project, the following stand out.
CONCLUSION
The work that you support by donating goes a long way not only to improve the lives of the children in the autism spectrum but also in giving hope to their caregivers, parents and families. Very many children in the spectrum from poverty stricken homes all over Kenya cannot access services to improve their well-being and conditions of living, their parents carry the burden of the stigma that comes with having children with disabilities or disorders in the African setting.
Our services are purely on a charity basis and the need to make a difference, we invite you once again to support our mission by being a regular donor and when you have time and the resources to come and volunteer at the center as you serve the children whom many have neglected and abused.
We are looking forward to partnering with companies ,colleges, universities and churches so that we establish a strong volunteers network which will be coming to Kenya to help us in fulfilling this mission and calling that we respond to every day by dedicating time and resources towards children with autism and other disorders .If you can be the bridge between us and the partnerships or funding ,we would really appreciate and the children though not aware would be glad for the help you would have brought them.
Once again a big thank you for making this project possible through your time and contributions. We view you as a partner and a friend.
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