Author: Lauren Blair

child playing with ball

A Father’s Hope

by Lauren Blair, Thomas Katana

  • Posted on May 27, 2024

When Emmanuel was born, his parents and birth attendant were overwhelmed because they were unfamiliar with his disability. Emmanuel was born with phocomelia, a rare congenital anomaly that caused both his upper limbs and his lower right leg to stop developing. Complicating matters, his family felt rejected by their community. As in many low- and…



Kupenda’s Disability Guidebook: Supporting Communities to Better Understand Disabilities

Kupenda’s Disability Guidebook: Supporting Communities to Better Understand Disabilities

by Lauren Blair

  • Posted on May 3, 2024

In low- and middle-income countries around the world, people with disabilities are often neglected, abandoned, abused, or even murdered due to the belief that a person with a disability has been cursed by God or witchcraft. In response to this negative stigma, Kupenda utilizes a number of tools to educate communities about disability and what…



child in chair

Fighting for the Right to Education and Inclusion: Rita’s Story

by Lauren Blair

  • Posted on April 9, 2024

  Due to negative stigma about her disability, Rita’s parents abandoned her to the care of her uncle, Barnabas. Throughout Kupenda’s programs, 70% of children with disabilities have lost either one or both parents. This is due to social perceptions that disabilities are a curse from God and the lack of support families often receive.…



A girl smiling and seated outside in a wheelchair, wearing a brown checkered shirt.

Creating Possibilities: Living a Life of Achievement with Cerebral Palsy

by Lauren Blair

  • Posted on March 19, 2024

Many years ago, while volunteering in a classroom at the Gede Special School in Kenya, a particular student’s smile always stood out to me. Gladys was a little girl with cerebral palsy, a developmental disability that affected her movement, posture, and coordination. Her demeanor was warm but unassuming. At home, her parents would often comment…



Happy International Womens Day Graphic

International Women’s Day: Celebrating the Women of Kupenda

by Lauren Blair

  • Posted on March 8, 2024

This International Women’s Day, Kupenda joins with a global community to raise awareness about the rights of women and reduce the number of barriers they face in living prosperous lives. We also celebrate a number of women whose achievements with Kupenda continue to reduce harmful stigma and heighten inclusion for thousands of people with disabilities…



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