In Eldoret, children with disabilities have a reason to smile
In Eldoret, children with disabilities have a reason to smile
More than 130 children living with disabilities at Jawabu Rehabilitation Centre in Eldoret have benefitted from modern facilities constructed by Safaricom and M-PESA Foundations in aid of their education and well-being.
The M-PESA Foundation constructed and equipped a physiotherapy room and a dining hall while Safaricom Foundation built and furnished a 144-bed capacity dormitory.
The Eldoret-based centre takes care of children with cerebral palsy, down syndrome, hydrocephalus and other physical disabilities.
The intervention by the two foundations will enable the centre to increase its capacity to accommodate children living with disabilities in the region and improve the delivery of care.
The physiotherapy equipment is also expected to improve the health and well-being of the children.
“Our support for this institution is guided by the belief that all children deserve access to education and quality health services. Children living with disabilities have challenges accessing these two key components and through our Foundations, we have several programmes to address this. Today, we have launched accommodation facilities and physiotherapy equipment for the children at this Centre. We are happy that these children will use these facilities to improve their health and education outcomes,” said Peter Ndegwa, CEO, Safaricom.
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Some of the physiotherapy equipment donated include spine therapy balls, static bicycles, adjustable parallel bars, hospital bed screens, furniture and stationery for staff among other assorted equipment.
Safaricom Foundation has invested close to Kes89 million in various health, education, water and economic empowerment projects across Uasin Gishu county benefitting over 150,000 residents.
In 2021, UNICEF estimated that there are about 240 million children living with disabilities globally and 47 percent of these are likely to miss out on primary school.
In Africa, at least one in three children have a disability with less than 10 percent of children living with disabilities likely to enroll in primary school.
