“The Kenyan government should help communities learn to love and care for disabled children”

Did you know that聽in every 20 families,聽in most communities worldwide, there is one that has a disabled child?

In an African set-up, especially in聽Kenya’s slums, where a聽couple has聽such a child, one spouse –聽usually the male –聽will often聽flee and leave the mother to cater for the needs of the child.

Some will hide the child in their homes so that people will not know that they have a child聽with a disability.聽

The most painful factor is that the government has not set aside funds for such cases. A聽good example is that in 80% of聽primary and secondary schools there are no special toilets for children who are disabled.

The government should create awareness for communities in marginalised places so that they learn to love and care for such children – instead of casting out聽the mothers and children, thinking the family is cursed.

Total Rehab Centre聽is a non-profit community-based organisation registered by the ministry of gender, children and social development.聽

The director of the organisation is Teresia Njeru, a聽lady in her thirties who has dedicated聽her life to helping disabled children who are brought by parents.

In some cases, the children are abandoned in communities. The centre has children from six to 32聽with different conditions from cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome, spina聽bifida and sensory integration disorder.

There are many communities in Kenya who have not yet accepted disabled children and hence they run away or abandon the children once they are born.

This聽is not the right move since the children are abled differently. With awareness from the government and in conjunction with the private sector, these children can be taken to school and given the right care like therapy and medicine.

Teresia says the government should provide free primary education for聽disabled children since they are not different from other children who are provided primary education聽

Once the government chips in to support聽disabled children, they stand a chance to participate in the growth of Kenya. Many聽of them are talented and have potential –聽they just need mentors.

The other thing the government can do is聽provide聽a medical practitioner,聽since it is expensive to have a doctor full-time in聽all counties to cater for the needs of disabled children.