Searching for dignity - children with disabilities in Kenya
By Joyce Mulama, World Vision Kenya
13-year-old Jeff is passionate about his art.
“I want to be an artist because I like drawing, and no amount of mocking from anyone will kill my dream,” he declares. He sketches avidly, and collages together pieces of his drawings to make beautiful pictures of trees and animals.
The Year Six student is paralysed from the waist down and speaks candidly about the stigmatisation he faces from children, adults, and society at large because of his condition.
“Children mock me but I do not fight them. People turn their heads to stare at me as my mother walks me to school. Sometimes matatus [minibus taxis] do not want to carry us,” he explained.
To get to school, Jeff struggles through his front door and down a bumpy path until he gets to the tarmac road where his mother can push him in his wheelchair the rest of the way. It doesn’t get much better once he gets to class though, for just like at home there are no special toilets or accessibility ramps.
“I suffer so much when there is no one to take me to the toilet. I have to wait for someone to come and push me,” Jeff explains.
Lauren, 11, faces similar challenges. Her mother, Karen, has to carry her nine miles to get her to school and back. On rare occasions, she can afford matatu fare of KSh 300 (about two pounds), but normally paying for a taxi is just too expensive for her Mum, who works as a casual labourer.
“I literally have to carry Lauren wherever I go, as she does not have a wheelchair. I cannot leave her alone at home because I fear she might be molested by fellow children and adults who continually hurl hurtful words at her.” Karen describes.
Lauren’s biggest wish is that she could play with the other children in her village. Instead, she has taken to making beads to pass her time. “I like playing around with beads, making different things like earrings and necklaces. This has become my hobby,” says the shy girl, who, despite her age, is only in pre-primary at a special school.
Karen is hoping to find a boarding school where Lauren can receive a full education. With her daughter cared for, 33-year-old Karen would then have more time to spend working in order to provide for her family.
To Gitonga, head of the physically disabled department at Lauren’s school, the challenges facing children like Lauren and Jeff are many, and often result in them being shut out of education. Schools lack walkers, wheelchairs, crutches, special toys, braille books, and other special learning aids.
In addition, the number of schools for children with special needs are in themselves insufficient, with only about 400 across the country. These facilities, Murunga observes, often lack caregivers including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and psychologists.
Government statistics indicate that just 67 percent of children with disabilities receive a primary education in Kenya, and only 19 percent complete secondary school. As part of Action 2015, World Vision is pushing for any new global goals for education or child health or wellbeing to include the most vulnerable children, whether they’re living with disabilities like Lauren or Jeff, or are living in a temporary settlement far from home, like young refugees in Syria or South Sudan. Our sponsorship programmes around the world are committed to creating inclusive environments where every child can live a life free from fear and discrimination.