what do we do?
We helped to establish a special needs unit at Nakuru Workers Primary School, including renovating a building, constructing accessible toilets, and providing equipment so the unit could get off the ground. The unit provides special education to 45 students with physical and mental disabilities. This currently includes children with autism, muscular dystrophy, mutism, Down's syndrome, and those who have been traumatised by sexual abuse.
why do we do it?
In Kenya, children with special needs are rarely provided with the support they need to thrive and learn: special education centres are few and far between, and children with special educational needs are often misunderstood, isolated, and kept out of school. Those who do attend lessons are often placed in very large classes, where they do not receive the attention they need to thrive. We believe every child deserves a good quality education, regardless of their special needs.
what impact do we have?
Since the special needs unit started in January 2015, the children have excelled in ways even their families couldn't imagine! Children who have never written before can now write the alphabet, are learning to socialise with other children, and have dramatically increased in confidence. They are also changing local attitudes towards disability — in seeing the children's progress, other teachers and parents are seeing that children with special needs can learn if given the right support!
45 children with mental or physical disabilities are learning at the special needs unit.
“Many of the students now learning at the special unit used to spend their time walking around the school field by themselves. Now they play together. Students now have a smile that you never used to see. Our unit is going to serve as an example to other schools. It will show people that special needs learners deserve the best, just like other students.””