February 2009 Kenya trip

From February 11th-21st, four women joined me in volunteering with Kupenda in Kenya. Holly, Tracy and Lauren had participated in the Kupenda trip in June 2007. Holly and Tracy both have experience working with a variety of disabilities. Lauren is on the board of Kupenda and has incredible organizational skills that she utilized to prepare lessons and activities for the children. This was Lynne’s first trip to Kenya. She discovered Kupenda at Ipswich Presbyterian Church and is staying in Kenya until March assisting in schools, the Kupenda office, the church, and anywhere else needed. Unfortunately, I don’t personally get to spend a lot of time with the children as most of my time is spent addressing administrative issues in meetings.

Overall, we tried to accomplish a lot in a very short time…

Administrative Meetings. I participated in numerous meetings addressing various needs of Kupenda. One particularly productive meeting was a strategy meeting between Kupenda and their Kenyan counterpart, Kuhenza, about planning for ways to address current and future needs.

Working at the Gede School for children with special needs. Since the school is short four teachers, Holly and Lynne taught the lower levels of children who are deaf using the lesson plans the other teachers gave them. Tracy spent most of her time at Gede working with children who have the most severe cases of cerebral palsy and are the ones most ignored. These types of children really need one-on-one attention, but again, there are just not enough teachers. In the U.S., these children would each have their own aid. Lauren worked with the higher functioning children with cerebral palsy using teaching materials she had brought along with her. Each day involved a morning of teaching, as well as an afternoon with outdoor and indoor activities. On one particular night, we were able to provide entertainment for the kids by projecting “Finding Nemo” on the wall of the school. 

Working with the Sir Ali School for children with mental disabilities. Holly and Tracy used their experience to spend time discussing issues with teachers, observing students, discussing diagnoses, and developing strategies for managing difficult behaviors. Lauren and Holly also taught the kids how to make paper beads from old magazines and calendars in order to make cost effective jewelry for their vocational program. The kids loved it!  the furnished boarding facility that was opened in 2007. There are now multiple bunk beds and children utilizing the new facility. However, there remains a great need to build additional space for the older boys, as the building they are using now is in very poor shape and has even been condemned. There is also a great need for water due to shortages in the area.

Visiting the Marafa School. The team traveled to Marafa to see various classrooms, as well as the furnished boarding facility that was opened in 2007. There are now multiple bunk beds and children utilizing the new facility. However, there remains a great need to build additional space for the older boys, as the building they are using now is in very poor shape and has even been condemned. There is also a great need for water due to shortages in the area.

Visiting children in their homes. All of the women had the opportunity to come with us to assess children with disabilities in their homes in the far reaching parts of the Gede District. In two different circumstances, we found children left all alone in their home with no adults to attend to their needs. One child, Pili, lacked medicine and food and collected grasshoppers to assuage her hunger; while another child, Hadija, was found holding out her empty cup in need of water. While Kupenda is able to assist these children while they are in school, educating the parents about the special needs of their children remains a significant obstacle.

Participating in Volunteer Day. The team participated in a “Volunteer Day” at the Gede School to promote community involvement with children with special needs. Eighty-eight members of the community donated food and assisted with chores around the school such as painting, trimming the lawn, moving supplies, feeding the children, etc. There were also speeches from the teachers and Kupenda.

Distributing Supplies. We were able to collect flip flops, underwear, crafts, and numerous toiletry supplies that we distributed to the children in the Marafa and Gede Schools, as well as to others as needed. In one particularly touching moment, Tracy and Holly offered up their own shoes to children who needed them and for whom we did not have a matching size.

Overall, the trip was productive, but there remains much to be done. A future trip is planned for the summer, which will help to meet additional needs.