Paolo’s Home Opens Day-Care for Children Living with Disability

Paolo’s home, an initiative of Koinonia community in Kibera, has yet again opened its doors further for the public, with the centre’s newly set up day care for children living with disability.

It launched the rehabilitation day-care centre on the 1st of July 2013 in a small ceremony organised in their newly acquired building adjacent to what initially was their home.

William Odipo, Koinonia Community’s Programmes Officer says the idea of having the day-care centre had started back in December last year to ease the burden of parents who have to work extra hard to give proper care to the children.

“What had earlier on been conceptualised as an idea has now come to fruition to the point where today we welcome the first group of children in Paolo’s Home day care. I must say that most of the mothers are very enthusiastic about the support and care we as Koinonia [Koinonia Community] under Paolo’s home are going to give their children,” said Mr Odipo during the ceremony.

The event attracted representatives from Koinonia Community’s central administration, parents, the centre’s newly acquired staff and the first lot of children who will be going to get consideration at the centre.

Paolo’s Home was officially opened on December 10th, 2007 but started operations in March 2008. The centre offers free specialised care for children with physical disabilities and also psychological counselling to parents of these children, who might have despaired at their disability.

Jane Nyongesa a physiotherapist and Project Manager at the Home says the day-care project will care for disabled children in Kibera slums to start with, as further plans for expansion will see them venture into other regions.

“Today we are starting the day care project which mainly we shall be having children brought here every morning and taken back home in the evening,” she said. These children will be put under special observation programmes working together with the staff and special teacher who will directly work with these children.

It is estimated that 800,000 Kenyan children under 17 have a disability. But the number could be even higher since most of these children are hidden away from public life, over the perceived curse that brings shame to the family.

Though Kenya has passed legislations and created a development fund for people with disabilities, there remains a great distance to travel to change attitude and remove stigma about people with disabilities in our society.

The country continues to face challenges of extremely limited government resources to improve conditions.