Our story
Learners with disabilities at Kenya Public school
Do you remember the first day you went to school? You might reminisce about an awkward and trembling heart, new friends, and a classroom full of exciting voices. There are also children in Kisumu, Kenya, who are feeling it. They are 14 children with disabilities who went to public schools for the first time.
Introduction to the project for children with disabilities in Kenya
Access to education for Children with disabilities is very poor in Kenya, where disability discrimination is severe. Educational facilities, which are disability-friendly and accessible for children with disabilities, are almost nil. Moreover, even though there are special education curricula, they are not being utilized in public schools.
To that end, MIRAL Welfare Foundation Kenya(MWFK) has been carrying out the “Social Inclusion Project for Children with Disabilities in Nyando, Kisumu, Kenya” as part of the KOICA(Korean International Cooperation Agency) project since April 2022. In order to guarantee the social rights of children with disabilities, this project is supporting education, rehabilitation services, and assistive devices, and promoting economic empowerment for families of children with disabilities, based on improving access to public services (education, healthcare) for children with disabilities and strengthening social support for families of children with disabilities.
It's my first time going to school!
Special unit at Onjiko Kobong’o public school
First of all, MWFK cooperated with the Kenya Ministry of Education (MoH) to build special units and disability-friendly washrooms in two public schools, Onjiko Kobong’o and Kolunga, which have great accessibility for children with disabilities. This allowed 14 children with disabilities to go to school and receive education for the first time in their life, and they could enjoy their school life with children without disabilities.
Currently, a total of 14 children with disabilities, 5 in Onjiko Kobong’o school and 9 in Kolunga school are being educated based on IEPs (Individual Education Plans) that consider the types of disabilities. In addition, curriculum and guidelines on special units have been developed and provided to the schools so that special need education (SNE) teachers can provide quality education to learners with disabilities.
Learners with disabilities in the special Units
Erokamano Asante sana(Thank you so much)!
Handover ceremony of the disability-friendly washroom at Onjiko Kobong’o school
Children with disabilities, parents, students, and MWFK staffs, etc., who participated in the handover ceremony at Onjiko Kobong’o school sang the song “Erokamano! Asante sana!” together to celebrate that children with disabilities could attend school. “Erokamano” means “thank you” in Luo, one of the tribes in Kenya, and “Asante sana” means “thank you so much” in Swahili, the official language of East Africa. The joy and delight of commencement of inclusive education spread throughout the community.
Students attended the handover ceremony
Students and MWFK staffs singing and dancing together
“I am so happy that my child can go to school.
I will work hard when my child is in school
So that I can continue my child at school”
- - Parent of newly enrolled child with disability in public school
Mom, I’m a peer Helper!
Peer helper training
MWFK conducted pre-interviews with children with disabilities who enrolled in school through the previous KOICA project (2017-2021). The interview has shown that the biggest difficulty that learners with disabilities faced in school life was the exclusion and being ostracized by classmates. Therefore, the two public schools conducted to improve disability awareness for both learners with disabilities and learners without disabilities.
As learners without disabilities actively participated in the peer helper training, they had time to learn about their roles as a peer helper, the difficulties that children with disabilities face, and what help children with disabilities need.
Student participating in the peer helper training
“Tell your mom this when you go back home today.
Mom! I am a peer helper from Onjiko Kobong’o school! I am their friends.”
- - Antonia (Special teacher at Ahero Girls’ High School, trainer)
The community needs to change
Eunhye Yong, Project Manager (PM) of MWFK speaking in the disability awareness campaign
Furthermore, it is also very important to raise the awareness of disability among the community for the rights of education for children with disability. For this, MWFK launched the disability campaign to raise the awareness at Kolunga school with the cooperation of the Ministry of Health (MoH), Ministry of Education (MoE), and the National Council for People with Disability (NCPWD).
Disability awareness campaign
The campaign with more than 1,000, including parents, teachers, and people from the community, etc., was operated by the MoH, MoH, Nyabondo rehabilitation center, and MWFK. Each booth was held under the themes of special need education, training on types of disability, and attitudes toward disability, and general quizzes on disability to get proper understanding regarding disability.
Disability awareness campaign reported in Kenyan public newspapers (Source: Nation Media)
The campaign was a valuable opportunity to deliver an important message how important of education for children with disabilities in Kenya. Moreover, the campaign also conveyed the message to various media, including Ramogi TV, Nation Media Newspaper, to further promote the MWFK’s projects and activities to support children with disability and the role of the community for the social inclusion of children with dishabilles.
Disability Is Not Inability
Many things still need to be changed until children with disabilities can fully enjoy their rights to education. MWFK will try to integrate many neglected and marginalized children with disabilities into the community, and create a world they deserve to be educated
Children standing next to the sign saying 'Disability Is Not Inability'
Written by Mi Jeong Kim
Translated by Eunhye Yong
Pictures by Miral Kenya