miral welfare foundation

In 2026, meaningful changes are beginning to take shape in Kisumu County, Kenya, aimed at institutionally guaranteeing the rights and social participation of persons with disabilities.

Since 2018, Miral Welfare Foundation has been actively implementing programs in Kisumu County to support children with disabilities and sponsored children.

In particular, through the KOICA Public-Private Partnership Project, “Social Inclusion Project for Children with Disabilities in Nyando Area, Kisumu County, Phase II (2025-2027),” Miral Welfare Foundation is strengthening close cooperation with the county government by training special education teachers in public schools and developing home-based rehabilitation manuals.

Building on this mutual trust, Miral Welfare Foundation and the Kisumu County Government plan to publish a “Disability Awareness Handbook” in 2026, which will serve as a standard guide for providing non-discriminatory services across the public sector, including administrative offices, public hospitals, and schools.

The Ministry of Health and Miral Welfare Foundation working on the CBR Manual

1. Establishing an Institutional Foundation and Partnerships for the Protection of Disability Rights

The Government of Kenya revised the Persons with Disabilities Act (2003) in 2025 in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and the Kenyan Constitution, thereby strengthening national legal standards for the protection of disability rights.

In step with these national-level reforms, the Kisumu County Government, located in western Kenya, is preparing to enact a county-level disability ordinance to systematically address discrimination and accessibility barriers that persons with disabilities face in daily life and when accessing public services.

The proposed ordinance is expected to include provisions on:

accessibility standards in public facilities, employment quotas for persons with disabilities in the public sector, tax reduction schemes, and anti-discrimination clauses, ensuring the protection of disability rights across local administration.

Miral Welfare Foundation is participating in this process as a professional partner, supporting both policy formulation and implementation so that the ordinance does not remain a symbolic declaration but functions effectively in actual administrative and public service settings.

2. Visit of Kisumu County Officials to Miral School: Observing the Korean Model of Special Education

To directly observe Korea’s special education system and clarify future areas of cooperation, officials from the Kisumu County Government visited Miral School, an affiliated institution of Miral Welfare Foundation.

In December 2025, the delegation included:

the Governor of Kisumu County Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, First Lady Dorothy Nyong’o, County Minister for Health Gregory Ganda, and the Chief of Staff and the Coordinator for Partnerships and Resource Mobilization from the Governor’s Office Aloice Ager.

Officials from Kisumu County Government visiting Miral School

Miral School is a special education institution established to support the independence of persons with developmental disabilities. It operates a continuous education system ranging from kindergarten to elementary, middle, and high school levels, as well as vocational departments - representing a Korean model of special education.

All facilities are designed to be disability-friendly and include:

Snoezelen rooms (sensory calming rooms), indoor playgrounds, home-living practice rooms, VR experience rooms, and fitness training rooms, providing an educational environment that supports psychological stability and sensory development for students with developmental disabilities.

Wheelchair-accessible ramp at Miral School

Officials from Kisumu County closely observed the school’s disability-friendly facilities and its step-by-step approach to special education delivery, showing strong interest in the fact that special education is operated not as an isolated project but through institutionalized systems and structures.

They also expressed expressed their appreciation for Korea’s special education support framework - including free education and investments in educational infrastructure - and stated their intention to support the stable operation of the special education classes (three beginner-level and three intermediate-level classrooms) established (or to be established) by Miral Welfare Foundation in Kisumu County public schools as part of a KOICA public-private partnership project, while also noting the potential to expand special education across Kisumu going forward.

3. Expanding the Scope of Cooperation through a Courtesy Call on the Korean Ambassador to Kenya

Following the Kisumu County delegation’s visit to Korea, Ambassador Kang Hyung-sik, the Korean Ambassador to Kenya, visited Kisumu County and paid courtesy calls on Deputy Governor Mathew Owili, as well as county executive committee members from relevant departments.

During the meeting, Ambassador Kang emphasized that Miral Welfare Foundation, as a disability welfare-focused NGO supported by the Korean government, is a key partner for Kisumu County.

The meeting also included positive discussions on expanding cooperation beyond existing areas - education, health, income generation, and advocacy - to include TVET, ECD, Infra, and Green Energy.

Ambassador Kang Hyung-sik (left) and Deputy Governor Mathew Owili (right) ⓒ Kisumu County Government

After the meeting, Ambassador Kang visited special education classrooms in public schools and rehabilitation therapy rooms in public hospitals established by Miral Welfare Foundation in the Nyando area of Kisumu County, directly inspecting on-site operations.

He highly commended Miral Welfare Foundation’s approach to sustainable international development cooperation based on Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) and encouraged further expansion of project impact.

Kisumu County Special Education Coordinator (left) and Ambassador Kang Hyung-shik (right)

Special education classroom at Ogwedhi PAG Public Primary School visited by Ambassador Kang

Miral Welfare Foundation, the Korean government, and the Kisumu County Government plan to build a sustainable cooperation model that goes beyond infrastructure support, grounded in accumulated partnership experience and mutual trust, and aimed at institutionally guaranteeing the rights and social participation of persons with disabilities.

Through these efforts, the partners will continue working to support Kisumu County’s emergence as a leading region for disability-inclusive community development.

We ask for your continued interest and support as new hope and change take shape in Kisumu County, Kenya.