A church-sponsored destitute therapy training centre in Kandara, Murang’a has been appreciated by the community for the assistance and support to the children suffering from autism and other developmental conditions.
Don Orione Community Training Centre established 14 years ago at Kaburugi Catholic Church is managed by Father Gedion Obwori and has been a pillar to tens of families with children with special needs where they get care and therapy.
Those above the age of 15 are trained in life skills, among them horticulture and hairdressing.
The centre calls for the support to acquire a bigger bus to ease children’s transportation challenge, as the bus covers 120 kilometres daily picking the children to school and back at home.
They ferry the children from their homes and back with the administration incurring a petrol cost of Sh200,000 per month.
Some of the parents have been forced to migrate to areas near the centres covered by the school transport system.
Eunice Kabura, says she was forced to relocate to the Kabati CFF area after her seven years old daughter secured a vacancy at the centre, after months of waiting.
Ms Kabura said in the past four years she had been looking for the best of her daughter after she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
“ It has been hell for me but after I was introduced to the centre by a friend through a social media platform I visited the condition was one must live along the transport corridor,” said Kabura.
Another parent, Mrs Jackline Kathure Kinyua says her nine-year-old son was born with a lot of difficulties which was diagnosed a year later.
Kathure said the family went through a lot of challenges in Meru county before relocating to Kandara, where she learnt of the neighbouring centre offering hope to the destitute children.
“ Before I landed at the centre I was referred to Thika level five hospital, and Kenyatta National Hospital where the family struggled,” said Kathure.
She said, that owing to her family’s financial position, Don Oriene was forced to engage her to be able to support her two children.
She added that the development of the nine-year-old had improved tremendously owing to the therapy offered by the professional caregivers.
Dr Amos Mbicha, a member of the board says transport remains the major challenge facing the organisation as the majority of the children live kilometres away, and there are only two vehicles a 33 seater bus and a 14 seater that pick up and drop the children at the home.
Mbicha said the major challenge facing the school is the shortage of resources owing to the enrolment as the majority of the parents are unable to pay for the service.
“ As the centre, we are forced to source support from well-wishers to retain the children at the facility where they are assisted by professional caregivers,” said Mbicha, a university lecturer.
Father Obwori said the facility depends on well-wishers for the support for the interest of the learners and at times the organisation is forced to employ parents as part of supporting their children.
The centre, Obwori attests has a capacity for 60 and 11 others on the waiting list owing to the challenges that can be resolved with the availability of resources. He calls on the well-wishers to assist the centre with playing toys as they are expensive for institutions.
“ The centre requires a borehole to be used in horticulture farming among other needs,” said the clergyman.
According to Ombwori, the church helps the young access basic education, and therapy, among other needs to support their wellbeing.
The cost of living, he said, has pushed many of the families towards the support of the dependants.
“As caregivers to the vulnerable children, we appeal to the government to lower the taxation on diapers that are highly used to ensure the children are not wet as they are changed regularly,” said Obwori.
Obwori adds that the church has done a lot of outreach in the neighbourhood educating the community on the need to embrace the children with such conditions instead of ridicule and discrimination.
A therapy expert James Njoroge said the majority of the parents enroll their children for therapy when they are fully developed.
Njoroge says he has interacted with many of the parents providing them with counselling support after they undergo various forms of challenges.
“ Many of the parents are referred to the centre by hospitals after a series of tests. In the villages families with children in such conditions face estimations and thus need to educate the community on the need to support them,” said Njoroge.
