Disability Advocacy

Protecting Girls with Disabilities from Child Marriage

by Jemeya Joe

  • Posted on October 8, 2026

Kupenda works to address many of the barriers and risks facing children with disabilities. But one issue that may be less familiar is the increased risk of child marriage. Research shows that girls with disabilities are more likely to be married as children than those without disabilities, making this an important, but often overlooked, disability…



A family sitting outside in rural Kenya, being counseled by a woman wearing a pink dress

“You Became Our Family”: Amina’s Story

by Lauren Blair

  • Posted on September 30, 2026

When *Amina was born with spina bifida and later developed hydrocephalus and epilepsy, her family faced more than mounting medical needs. They also experienced stigma, rejection, and harmful beliefs about disability. But after years of searching for care and exhausting their resources, a connection to Kupenda gave Amina’s family the medical support, information, and community…



An AI-generated landscape, showing a path in the wilderness. it appears to have just rained as the clouds as rolling away and there are puddles on the path.

A Journey Back from Despair: A Mother Tells Her Story of Healing

by Kupenda

  • Posted on September 24, 2026

Content Warning: This first-person story includes references severe emotional distress, disability-related stigma, child neglect, attempted suicide, and attempted harm to a child. Please read with care. My name is *Zawadi, mother to Moses, who is a child with disability. I gave birth to my child well, but after one week, he fell sick, and I…



African woman in a room of African men giving a speech

Caught Between Generations: The Hidden Toll of Sandwich Caregiving

by Kupenda

  • Posted on September 16, 2026

Sandwich caregivers (SCGs) are individuals who simultaneously care for dependent children and aging relatives, with disability sometimes adding to the caregiving needs of either generation. Sandwiched between generations, SCGs often provide this care without pay, recognition, or adequate support. Many SCGs are women between the ages of 30 and 60 who manage multiple caregiving responsibilities…



A group of African women gathered outdoors in a rural village, wearing colorful clothing and patterned wraps. Several women carry children, while a woman in a green shirt and red headscarf plays a small wind instrument. A thatched-roof building and trees are in the background.

When One Mother Finds Her Voice, a Community Finds Its Strength

by Violet Paiva

  • Posted on September 4, 2026

From Uncertainty to Understanding When Nikiti first noticed that her six-month-old son could not sit on his own, she did not know what was wrong. Like many parents raising a child with a disability, she faced uncertainty and questions in a community where disability can carry deep stigma. But Nikiti’s story did not end with…



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