Most of these children have been with us since the launch of the project, 11 years ago, and are thriving with your help and support. Their support and education are mainly funded through individual sponsors, fundraising activities and donations and at present they attend 8 different schools in Nairobi and its outskirts. Most of our high school students attend boarding facilities and we cover all their costs including uniforms, books, supplies, transport, extra tuition and exam preparation sessions.

We also help with basic health care and social well-being. All our children would have been completely excluded from any form of education, if they were not part of our project as they come from the poorest families in the Kawangware slum area. The children were selected on a needs basis and mainly come from single- parent households or from families who are affected by disabilities or HIV. All of the children in the programme were not previously in education.

Their progress, grades and well-being are closely monitored by our Project Manager Ramadan and by our trustees. Extra help is provided when needed. Special activities and trips are often planned to help build the children’s experiences and wider knowledge. During school holidays, we continue to support all our children and provide food packages for them and their families plus organising activities and camps. Two anti-bullying seminars have been organized for our Year 8 and High school students in 2023.

We work with parents and we mentor them using seminars and workshops to make sure they take an active role in their children’s education. We have built a strong team around our children with sponsors, supporters, trustees, teachers and principals.

Education in Kenya is expensive and a luxury to most families, many of whom live below the international poverty line. Please help make a difference, a small amount goes a long way.

Stigmatisation surrounding disability in Kenya is rife. The schools they attend are government funded but families must pay for uniforms, transport, medical equipment, food vouchers etc. This is simply beyond most families so these children are hidden away in their local communities rarely venturing out. Twelve of our special needs children attend the Dagoretti Special School just outside Kawangware. The school is a real oasis in the Kenyan educational world. It is safe and well-staffed. We provide transport, uniforms, equipment such as incontinence pads, walking aids and all the things these children and their families need so that they can attend school. Recently the school has added a physiotherapy programme which our less mobile children attend thanks to some extra donations.

Two of our special needs children, Alvin and Joseph, were transferred last September to a boarding institution specialising in sign language and another student is attending special needs vocational training. One of our students has even been introduced into a mainstream school with the help of an assistant teacher.

Our aim at the start of this project was to get these children accepted into their communities. This is being achieved. It has not only changed the lives of the children, who love their school but also given valuable support and respite for the parents and more time for them to work and earn extra money in order to better support their families.

Parents now proudly escort their children through Kawangware to the bus and the children are always so excited to put on their uniforms and go to school.

In Kenya, over 1 million children are out of school, 2 million are orphaned and 700,000 live with a disability. You can help remove the stigmatism of disability and make a difference.