SPECIAL NEEDS
Addressing Care & Support
Children with special needs within rural public primary schools continue to experience isolation,
marginalization & stigmatization. The causal factors are existing social economic challenges of
extreme poverty and ignorance of community leaders, caregivers and family members. Therefore further
perpetuating lack of access to prescribed assessment and rehabilitation for children with special needs to existing
public primary schools, health facilities and other specialized institutions.
The objective of this programme is the establishment and or strengthening of existing special units in primary schools. The activities include provision of assessment, treatment and therapy for the identified children, provision of learning and teaching aids, support setting up of boarding facilities and training of special needs teachers/caregivers.
The objective of this programme is the establishment and or strengthening of existing special units in primary schools. The activities include provision of assessment, treatment and therapy for the identified children, provision of learning and teaching aids, support setting up of boarding facilities and training of special needs teachers/caregivers.
Malaika Outreach Initiative - Kilifi County
Malaika Outreach Initiative launched in 2002 focused on mitigating the challenges of households with children with special needs within Kilifi District, Mtwapa constituency. This initiative was later launched Mbeere South Gachoka Consitituency - Embu County called Mwana Mwende. A similar initiative called Mwana Mwende was in 2008 launched in Gachoka-Embu County.
Malaika Outreach initiative initially took place in 12 villages within Shimo-La-Tewa sub-location in Kilifi district reaching out to households with children with various forms of disabilities. The initiative focused on the following interventions; a) assessment, referral and rehabilitation of children with children special needs within programme sites at community level; b) livelihoods empowerment for caregivers to reduce poverty and increase access of children with special needs to learning and rehabilitation.
The core aim of this initiative then and which is still the core development initiative for MKCF is building capacity of household members and community stakeholder in Community based Rehabilitation. The key interventions that MKCF did then and continue to conduct now are assessment, referral and rehabilitation of children with special needs within rural communities. The key tangible outcomes of these activities has been the establishment and or strengthen of Special units within existing primary schools for the admittance of assessed children to the local special units for learning and life skills.
Malaika Outreach initiative initially took place in 12 villages within Shimo-La-Tewa sub-location in Kilifi district reaching out to households with children with various forms of disabilities. The initiative focused on the following interventions; a) assessment, referral and rehabilitation of children with children special needs within programme sites at community level; b) livelihoods empowerment for caregivers to reduce poverty and increase access of children with special needs to learning and rehabilitation.
The core aim of this initiative then and which is still the core development initiative for MKCF is building capacity of household members and community stakeholder in Community based Rehabilitation. The key interventions that MKCF did then and continue to conduct now are assessment, referral and rehabilitation of children with special needs within rural communities. The key tangible outcomes of these activities has been the establishment and or strengthen of Special units within existing primary schools for the admittance of assessed children to the local special units for learning and life skills.
Mwana Mwende Project - Mbeere South, Embu County
Maisha Kara Children Foundation (MKCF) Education initiative launched in 2008 in Mbeere district, Gachoka Constituency begun with a community based initiative called Mwana Mwende. This initiative was with the key aim of reaching out to identified child with special needs within 10 local communities. 2004 data from the District Education Office indicated that in Gachoka Constituency there was a consistent declining rate of enrollment for children in primary school and even at a higher rate for those in secondary schools. For example the number of students in 2004; primary school enrollment was 31, 851 and 5002 students in Secondary School while 255 enrolled in university or institutions of higher learning. There being lack of adequate data on the enrollment of children with special needs MKCF felt that if there was visible decline in enrollment of 'normal' children in schools then the rate of those with disability should be higher based on their vulnerability and marginalization. The following are some of the documented underlying causes obtained from various reports and researchers by various stakeholders;
- Increase in poverty levels at household level.
- Increasing number of child headed households due to HIV/AIDS.
- Increased tuition costs.
- Increase in logistical cost to access schools & vocational training institutions.
- Increased rate of early marriages and adolescent pregnancies.
- Increase in alcohol, drug and substance abuse.
- Limited access to livelihood opportunities, and life skills empowerment.
- Limited access to adequate basic health care and support to marginalized households and communities.
Achievements
- Capacity building activities have included procurement of learning and teaching aids for the teachers and children. Refresher training of special needs teachers on the care and support of children with special needs and CBR. The establishment of Occupational Therapy Centers (OT) have also been established and or strengthened to enable accessibility of children for weekly therapy and counseling of their caregivers. The OT centers established in the school grounds and or within community have been equipped with basic physiotherapy equipment and a skilled therapist to provide required therapy on weekly basis for the children and those others within surrounding environs.