Help Kenyan children with disabilities into school

There is a lot going on with our partners at the Disability Community Centre (DCC) in Maua, and the two disability schools with whom HATW works.

The DCC had two HATW volunteers visiting for three weeks in June; they worked alongside the DCC team and also in the school in Athi and their visit has made a great impact. We hope to send round their report shortly. The DCC staff team have also benefitted from receiving ongoing training.

In Athi school, the three new classrooms have now been completed; there is still work to be done, however, to improve water and sanitation as well as to provide equipment and furniture.

At Irindiro school, there is a plan for the work that is to be done. The water supply has been installed and the dormitory renovation work is to be completed during the school holidays in August. A carpenter has begun work on making 22 beds for the children and 34 mattresses with waterproof covers will be purchased from Meru town which will be sufficient for all the beds.

The next stage will be to start work on building a new classroom and a security fence to make sure the children cannot wander outside the school grounds. All these improvements will make such a difference to everyday life and learning at the school! There is still a shortage of specialist learning equipment, desks and chairs as well as basic paper, pencils, educational toys and musical instruments which would develop the skills of the disabled children who attend the school.

What could you do to help? Have you time to spend as a volunteer working in our partner projects? Or could you raise funds for special learning equipment? Please donate on line, or contact HATW if you would like to volunteer.

We are also looking forward to Oliver the DCC project manager’s visit in September; we hope to arrange a number of visits to local disability centres as well providing a wider experience of life in the UK. Hopefully he will make new contacts and we may be able to encourage other professionals to visit as professional volunteers to share their skills.