Help Kenyan children with disabilities into school

The objective of this project is to help children with special needs into school.

Physiotherapy to children with disabilities

Most public schools and health centres do not have facilities such as physiotherapy and therapy equipment. In some cases, school administrators denied admission to children with disabilities due to lack of facilities or simply because they could not manage children with disabilities. DCC has continued to provide physiotherapy and support to these schools. This has enhanced enrolment and improved regular school attendance. Athi special school now has an enrolment of 135 learners while Irindiro special unit has 56 learners.

Child protection forums

DCC conducted stakeholder’s forums which in attendance included children, parents, teachers, school administrators, hospital administrators, and government officials. These forums were to share issues affecting children and planning efforts to enhance their protection. Some of the issues discussed included addressing child abuse and exploitation, responding to violence and creating safety nets. Through these initiatives 28 cases of child abuse were identified within the target area. This was possible through the established good working relationships and networking with the local administration such as the Chiefs, Sub-County commissioners, Children’s office, Police, as well as the Ministry of Education in following up cases of child abuse and ensuring the perpetrators are prosecuted. The DCC conducted 2 forums participated by these stakeholders among others to give feedback and strengthen this child protection network.

Thank you for supporting this valuable work.

I am happy to send this report on our work in Maua and district in Kenya. The objective of the DCC project is to help children with special needs into school.

These efforts to improve the wellbeing of children with special needs in are bearing fruits. Athi special school has completed a new administration block in addition to the recently completed classrooms. The teachers now have a better environment to meet and plan for the children. Due to the improved dormitories, dining hall and classrooms, the number of children in the school has increased by 25% indicating the great need for schools in the community. This translates to more children accessing education as a result of their parents gaining confidence in the schools effort to educate them.

A new security fence has been installed at Irindiro Special Unit. This has greatly improved the security of the learners unlike before where they would wander into the bushes and to the roadside. The number of learners in Irindiro has also increased to 65 from 38 previously. This has prompted the need for new classrooms and facilities to be able to accommodate the increasing number of learners.

Thank you all for your help in assisting us to achieve our goals for these special children!

HATW volunteer, Anna, writes about her trip to the DCC…

I went to Maua to the DCC in January. I had been asked if I wanted to go on a short visit to meet people and see the projects working with hands around the world there.

I was filled with anxiety, not about travelling, discomfort or experiencing a different culture, but about my own ability to contribute. I was worried that I had nothing to bring and no skills that could benefit others. Without realising, I had started to focus solely on myself. When I arrived, this completely changed.

Life in Maua is different from mine, and yet I found things in common with people. Everyone welcomed us.
I was delighted to meet and listen to student nurses at the school in the Methodist hospital – they talked about job prospects and how hard their course was; complained about exams and hoped that when qualified they would finally have more money. I was really struck by how similar they sounded to my students; their problems, although different, were very similar. This made me think about how much we have in common with people everywhere. Findings these commonalities not only helps us to forge lasting relationships but also helps us to understand other people’s points of view.

We spent a day visiting people who had disabilities in their homes. It was humbling to be welcomed by and to meet children whose need was so great. The children though were delighted that we had come and really wanted to pose for photos, which made them giggle. We also went to visit some of the special schools that Hands Around The World is involved with. The children were overjoyed with the footballs that we gave them.
My experience of volunteering has given me more to think about and a strong desire to develop the relationships and links that I made, but it has also changed me. In the end, I benefitted more than I could have contributed. I feel privileged to have met so many inspiring people and hope that I will see them again.

We were so excited to visit the DCC and associated projects last week! A small group of volunteers including a physio, nursing lecturer, the new Executive Officer and a HATW Trustee went on a short fact-finding and follow-up visit to our partners in the Maua area.

We visited Athi school and were delighted to see the new classrooms in use, with students hard at work! (see pictures below)

At Irindiro school, the dormitory was looking so much better – with beds and mattresses for all the children now in place. There is a new wash block with showers and loos (with disability aid!) but, unfortunately, not connected to a water supply – you still have to bring your own bucket of water.

The new classroom for teaching the hearing- impaired is complete, though it still needs metal window grilles to protect the glass from accidental damage.

More importantly, the children lack the horseshoe desk which is needed so that they all have a direct line of sight to their signing teacher. Please help by sponsoring so that we can provide them with this essential resource.

The work at Irindiro Primary School’s special unit is continuing well in the effort to provide education to children with different abilities.

In this project the children in the special unit are to benefit from water installation, beds with mattresses, electricity supply, a renovated and updated dormitory, a new classroom and a security fence for the school.

Work has been completed on the water installation, new beds and mattresses issued, electricity has been installed and the school now has working electricity, the classroom has been completed and is already in use, work on the dormitory has begun with painting of the outside of the dormitory being completed.