“The Kenyan government needs to champion children with disabilities because they have something to offer”

Disability is not inability –聽that国产视频檚 what most people fail to understand in our聽communities, especially here in Kenya. That’s the message from聽Lily Oyare, director of聽Little Rock Inclusive Early Childhood Centre, who helps聽children from informal settlements.

The Kenyan government is not playing a major role, since it only puts aside $20聽for each聽child with disability –聽yet that is not enough even to buy a wheelchair, which costs $200.聽

The head teachers of primary schools have closed doors to disabled kids because they know聽having a disabled child is expensive. These children need therapy, which is $25聽per session. Our government needs to come and champion children with disabilities聽because they have something to offer.

The government should construct toilets that are disability-friendly and ramps for the children using wheelchairs to move with ease.聽

The teachers in public schools should be trained on special education in order to embrace and teach them, so that children with disabilities can fit into their classrooms.聽

The government should be able to come out and help all different categories of children.

In 2003 Madam Lily was volunteering for an informal school. At聽around that time the government had聽started the free education system in Kenya.

Lily, a mother of four, was moved by how little was done for kids with disabilities in Kibera, one of the largest slums in Africa.

She decided to start a school. The first day they had 12 kids and by the second day she had 20聽students.

She started in a humble background where there was no enough space and the environment was not child-friendly. She was challenged to move to bigger premises.聽

Her dreams, together with the few teachers, were still not achieved. She made sure she went back to college to learn sign language because the first child she encountered in Little Rock had a聽hearing impairment and she was not able to communicate.

She made it mandatory for all her聽workers to learn sign language in order to communicate with such kids.

Little Rock has 1021 children –聽626聽have transitioned to primary school聽and they have 60 who sat for the聽Kenya certificate of primary education who will be transitioning to secondary school. There are聽65 who are currently in high school.

There are 140 children with special needs and聽400 girls and boys聽attend early childhood education.

Jessica, a 10-year-old class four student at Mbagathi Road Primary School, who has cerebral palsy, is one of the students who has been in Little Rock since she was in baby class.

She says聽she was taught to read and write in Little Rock and her聽teachers were friendly and made聽her happy. Jessica wants to be a pastor and lawyer once she grows up.

The best thing about Little Rock is reading –聽Jessica recalls how her teachers helped her to sharpen her skills in English. She got 94聽in her last mathematics聽exam and she wants to get 100 next time.

Jessica has seven siblings. Her mum makes sure that she gets all she requires in terms of food and聽clean clothes while her father sells bread from a wheel barrow in the surrounding community.

Melody Moraa is聽a courageous, outspoken 15-year-old who has cerebral palsy and goes聽 to class eight. She is going to sit her final primary exams this year.聽

Melody came to Little Rock 聽in 2005 and now she can talk fluent English. It’s her favourite subject simply because Mrs聽Maina the English teacher is disability-friendly.

Melody, the second聽of four children,聽wants to be a lawyer when she grows up because she sees many people living with disabilities have been denied their rights.聽

Melody国产视频檚 mum works at Little Rock, cleaning the compound, and her father is a driver in a town known as Thika. Melody does not feel different because disability is not inability.

About Little Rock

Little Rock Inclusive ECD Centre is based in Kibera, Nairobi.

• Little Rock was founded in 2003 to help children aged one to eight. Its target groups are orphans, those affected by HIV/Aids, the poor and special needs children.聽
• The children are taught and catered for by 30 qualified early childhood and primary teachers, 30 caregivers and three admin staff.
• Learn more on聽Little Rock’s website.

Melody reminds the community that those people who are living with disability are able to do everything and the government should聽accept people with disabilities by taking them to school and giving them jobs.

There is a big gap for children living with disabilities in Kenya, especially children from informal settlements. They cannot access special care such as a helper to take them to the washroom or even Braille for a blind student.聽

Research should be carried out on issues of children living with disabilities in Kenya and聽the findings should be shared to the government.聽

Local and international resources should be mobilised聽to support children with disabilities and聽the ministry of planning and national government should ensure sufficient budgetary allocation for children who are abled differently.

Community sensitisation on children living with disability is a key factor –聽simply because it enables people to accept them not because they get to understand these children and nurture them.

As the ministry for home affairs puts it, the community needs to protect and care for the disabled and carry out advocacy.聽

Let国产视频檚 all address the needs of children with special needs and disabilities, support their parents and make the world a better place for them by creating opportunities for them and treating them the same way as聽the rest of the children.