WHAT WE DO
Watoto Ciao action is built around the following four broad strategies
- Awareness creation and sensitisation targeting the general community in the selected area but focusing in particular on families and schools
- Child Rehabilitation and medical care
- Community Capacity Development to ensure inclusion and promotion of children with disabilities.
- Promoting activities of child participation at the community level.
Activities implemented include
- Medical rehabilitation: provision of medical assessment, physiotherapy, specialised clinical treatment, surgical operations, appliances and health equipment.
- Education support: enrollment of Children with Disabilities in special education units within local primary schools or in special centres and/or professional training. Rehabilitation of special education units and provision of equipment and educational material.
- Support caregivers: social support provided to Children with Disabilities’ caregivers by making visits, providing counselling, monitoring the child with special needs and training relatives on how to deal with him/her,
- Capacity building: meetings, seminars and workshops to build the capacity of caregivers, families, school teachers, community volunteers and community members on how to deal with children with special needs.
- Social inclusion: awareness creation events to enhance acceptance of disable children by community members including families, faith based organization members, self help groups and the general population by sensitising and educating them against the cultural and social discrimination disabled children face.
WATOTO CIAO BENEFICIARIES
Since 2008, direct beneficiaries who benefited from the program across all Watoto Ciao projects have been 2,033 children with disabilities. One of three has suffered of developmental delays, one of four has been affected by walking difficulties, One of six has been with severe conditions due to cerebral palsy. Most of them have gone through medical and social support until achievement of major developmental milestones or full recovery. Children under Watoto Ciao care through the ongoing programme are about 120 yearly.
They following list shows percentages of children conditions since the programme inception.
- (30.2%), — Developmental delays.
- (24.6%), — Flatfoot.
- (14.8%), — Cerebral palsy.
- (9.8%), — Speech impairments/learning difficulties.
- (3.9%), —– Hemiplegia/monoplegia/ hemiparesis.
- (3.7%), —— Epilepsy.
- (2.7%), ——- Mental challenges.
- (9.8%), —-Other conditions including surgeries.
Indirect beneficiaries (since programme inception)
- 80 GoK institutional staff members from the department of children services, the probation and aftercare department of Kenya and school teachers through specialized training.
- Over 200 staff members of partner organization and other stakeholders through training and sensitization
- Over 2000 families of CWDs in more than 8 counties in Kenya through psycho-social support
Over 10,000 Community members through community awareness.
Think about what great people said
My advice to other disabled people would be, concentrate on things your disability doesn’t prevent you doing well, and don’t regret the things it interferes with. Don’t be disabled in spirit as well as physically. -Stephen Hawking
Disability is a matter of perception. If you can do just one thing well, you’re needed by someone. –Martina Navratilova
Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible. Francis of Assisi
…or something like this
When you hear the word ‘disabled,’ people immediately think about people who can’t walk or talk or do everything that people take for granted. Now, I take nothing for granted. But I find the real disability
is people who can’t find joy in life and are bitter. Teri Garr
