Author: Lauren Blair

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…



Photo of Hellen laying down in a blue shirt and yellow shorts

Loving the ā€œUnlovableā€: Hellen’s Story

by Lauren Blair

  • Posted on January 31, 2024

Throughout the world, people with disabilities are often denied loving inclusion among their families and communities. This is not usually due to the disability itself but to the limiting views of others around them. For children like Hellen, her community’s understanding of disability meant the difference between life and death. Stigma and Struggle When Hellen…



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