Help Kenyan children with disabilities into school

Our North Meru DCC partners have been working to assess priority needs for Athi school and the disabled children who are resident there. The focus of this initiative is to improve existing kitchen, dining and boarding facilities for the children, with a maintenance and improvement programme.

As long-standing partners of both the DCC and the school, HANDS AROUND THE WORLD is determined to support well managed and effective local initiatives. We are therefore delighted when we can work in partnership to achieve an improved standard for children attending the school.

There have been several personnel changes at the DCC in recent weeks including the departure of the programme director. Consequently the management is working to bring the new director and some other team members on board and we are seeking to build new relationships with them. This is of necessity a period of consolidation and evaluation and we hope to be able to send a fuller report shortly.

Nelly, one of the young girls at Athi School who had needed extensive bowel surgery, has happily now been told that no further operations are required; she will be kept under 6-monthly review at the Kenyatta Hospital in Nairobi.

HANDS AROUND THE WORLD has recently set up the Chris Halsey Tribute Fund in memory of one of our former trustees who worked as a nurse. The fund will help other needy children access surgical or medical help which they would otherwise be unable to afford, and also help with the cost of equipment or appliances such as wheelchairs, crutches etc..

We would of course be delighted if you would like to donate to this Fund!

We are pleased that more volunteers from the UK have been able to visit our partner projects at the Disability Centre in Maua and Athi disability school recently – Hands Around the World recognises the importance of ongoing relationships, so that the support we can offer is led by our partner’s needs.

In August we had just started the process of seeking a sponsoring partner to enable the development of the Orthopaedic workshop and therapy room at the disability centre. We are delighted that we have now achieved three quarters of the funding needed, and are now only looking for the money to support the staff training element of the original proposal. Can you contribute towards the extra £5000 that is needed? We look forward to starting this initiative from next January.

We want, by our support, to help provide improved services to children with disabilities – whether they are living in their home communities or attending the disability school in Athi. As well as disability aids, the children need the opportunity to develop life skills which will support them in the future. We hope to promote income generating initiatives which will support the projects and give the children opportunities to learn new skills. How about sponsoring chickens, or a fish pool, so that the children can learn to care for the animals and earn an income too…..?