Meet 36-year-old Zawadi Kitsau from Kaloleni, Kilifi County, a single mother to four children, one of who has a severe disability. Her 17-year-old daughter Mapenzi was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy a few months after birth and has had the condition since then. Zawadi and her daughter Mapenzi are beneficiaries of the Inclusive Communities Project funded by Irish Aid and being implemented by Basic Needs Basic Rights Kenya in partnership with CBM Global Kenya, that among others, seeks to promote inclusive education particularly for children with various forms of disabilities including psychosocial, intellectual and cognitive. Mapenzi is among 13 children from Kilifi County who have received disability aids meant to enhance their access to education. Zawadi shares her story below:     

A better part of Mapenzi’s early life was spent in and out of hospitals in Mombasa courtesy of financing from well-wishers, as I sought treatment for her condition. Unfortunately, we were never able to find a permanent medical solution.     

Since then, my child became fully reliant on me for her day-to-day care. This however put a huge strain on me as it became impossible for me to seek fulltime employment because I didn’t have anyone I could trust, to care for her while I was away. I therefore resorted to casual jobs whenever I had the opportunity.

I was able to find opportunities for part-time casual work such as providing laundry services, however the income was nowhere near enough. In as much as Mapenzi needed regular medical care, I had to prioritize the educational needs of my other three children, which I was fortunate to supplement with government education bursaries. 

A chance at education

In 2021 when she was 15 years old, I learnt about Kizurini Primary School Special Education Unit and immediately enrolled Mapenzi. This provided me with a huge relief as she not only got an opportunity to get an education but also a place where she could spend the day and be cared for. This was also opportune for me because I now got an opportunity to go earn some income while she was being cared for in school.

It has not been all roses however, because the Special Unit at Kizurini is a government facility that is understaffed therefore does not have the capacity in terms of personnel to care for the children with disabilities. We therefore sat down as a community and came up with a solution.

We as parents, who are bringing our children with various disabilities to this school, have assigned ourselves duties to care for the children while in school. We take turns every week to care for the children. Since there is some level of predictability in this schedule, we are not only playing our part as parents in supporting the school but also freeing up our time to find opportunities for income generation. As a community, we have committed to ensuring that all children with disabilities get an education.

My daughter and I have hugely benefitted from the Inclusive Communities Project

As part of this project, my daughter has received a pair of school uniforms and a side lying bed and wedge. Both have been very significant in ensuring that she continues to get her education with minimal disruption. The side lying bed and wedge have helped ensure that her back and muscles are comfortable throughout the day and night taking into consideration that she spends most of her time lying. They both also provide me or the person looking after her in school, with a good surface to perform her daily massages which are important for her muscles and motor function.

The school uniform also ensures that she feels like a part of the school community. I had previously not been able to buy her a school uniform because I had prioritised other household needs.

Courtesy of the project, I have also personally benefited from training on how to use local resources at my disposal to innovatively develop disability aids. Since the training, I have been able to teach other mothers in my community on doing the same. So far, two mothers have already enrolled their children with disabilities to this school after I encouraged them to do so.

I now offer these teachings pro bono in my community as part of raising awareness to other mothers on the importance of giving their children with disabilities an opportunity to get an education.

I am grateful for all that the project has been able to do for me and my daughter in ensuring that she continues to get her education.