Kibera’s special needs children and caregivers receives vital psychosocial support

PHOTO: Rotary Club of Ngong Road President Mwende Mulandi addressing children, parents and teachers during the event on Friday.

NAIROBI, Kenya, June 1 – A vital mental health and physical therapy initiative brought much-needed relief to children with disabilities and their families at the Edmund Rice Centre in Kibera, Nairobi.

The community-focused outreach aimed to bridge the gap in accessible healthcare by providing specialized therapy sessions for children, while simultaneously offering mental wellness counseling to parents and caregivers navigating the daily demands of special-needs caregiving in the area.

This collaborative effort was spearheaded by the Rotary Club of Ngong Road in collaboration with the Restore and Renew Wellness Group, aiming to deliver comprehensive wellness sessions to students, teachers  and families, the two organizations provided a robust support system designed to address the mental and physical well-being of the entire school community.

The month-long programme culminated in a vibrant art and mental wellness exhibition.

Ms Mwende Mulandi, Club President of the Rotary Club of Ngong Road, while speaking during the exhibition highlighted the unique and often overlooked challenges faced by the families of children with special needs.

“We are here to celebrate an exhibition after one month of therapy and mental wellness, Yes we do sometimes acknowledge children with disabilities, but we tend to forget about their parents and caregivers”, Mulandi said.

“They live in communities where they are told to shun their children, hide them. They go through various challenges as many of them parents live in informal settlements.”

Additionally, Mulandi strongly encouraged affected families to seek out supportive environments rather than isolating themselves.

“If you have a child with a disability, find a school such as Edmund Rice Centre that will embrace you, to the caregivers: “You also deserve mental wellness”, she urged.

Rotaract’s President Elect Austine Itebete echoed the sentiment of long-term community responsibility.

Itebete called upon both parents and the wider community to offer unwavering, continuous support to children living with disabilities.

“It is not a one-day event but a continuous thing, Every kid deserves a chance”, stated Itebete.

The programme featured specialised art therapy tailored for the children, alongside targeted sessions for their support systems.

Through these sessions, organizers were successfully able to train parents and caregivers on how to provide better, more specialized care to the children at home.

Further, To drive long-term resilience and nutritional security, the Rotary Club of Lavington Eco has partnered with the center to establish a modern kitchen garden, providing essential farm inputs and technical support.

This initiative aims to bolster food sustainability while serving as a living classroom where residents can gain hands-on agricultural skills.

By integrating self-sufficient food production into the center’s core operations, the project ensures that immediate dietary needs are met while fostering a culture of environmental stewardship and practical learning for the future.

Phylis Ambenge, a dedicated teacher at the Edmund Rice Centre who works directly with the children, expressed immense gratitude for the external support and shared insight into the impact of the visit.

“The Rotary Club, Ngong Road, visited us, they brought material for our children and assisted parents and teachers”.

Ambenge noted. Ambenge’s final appeal was a call to move beyond the shadows of stigma, urging families to see their children not through the lens of a “condition,” but through the eyes of potential.

“My advice for parents with children with disabilities: do not hide them, let them come.”

As a testament to the skills learned during the program, Ambenge sold beautiful baskets made by the learners to officials from the Rotary and Rotaract Club of Ngong Road during the event, showcasing the tangible potential and talents of the children when given the right environment to thrive.