Specialist care for 200 children with disabilities

Isaac is a young man with Down Syndrome. He is the last born in a family of twelve siblings. His parents are peasant farmers and depended on one annual harvest to sustain the whole family. Isaac joined Kirunguru Special School at the age of ten after his village was made aware of support available for children with disabilities by our outreach team. He is now 22 years old and working at Level 4 which is the highest ranked level in the school. He is able to participate in a number of activities as well as following instructions given by his teachers. Currently Isaac is being trained by an artisan in shoe making and repair skills which we hope will provide him with a practical way of generating income once he graduates.

When I spoke to his teacher Catherine who is the Level 4 class teacher, she had this to say, “Isaac takes things slowly but surely. He has improved significantly since he joined the school as he has perfected his skills in creative arts and mastered some numeracy and literacy skills. He also participates in music festivals, school games and is an active Scout. I believe that with the right support, Isaac will become independent once he is reintegrated back to the community.”

Vision Africa has expanded its support in the area of disability to include an early intervention outreach programme for infants and pre-school children with disabilities in the community surrounding the schools. This also led to the formation of support groups for parents and guardians raising children with disabilities across Murang’a County which has been instrumental in creating disability awareness and thus reducing stigma of families and children with disability. They share their experiences, challenges and also assist in identification of other families of children with disability within the villages. Thank you for the support as all this would not have been possible without your contribution towards this project.