Help Me Help Others!

Jambo! That means Hello in Swahili, one of Kenya's offical language (the other one being English). As many of you guys know one of my greatest passions is working with children with special needs. Although I have had a lot of experience working with children (with and without disabilities) in the United States, I haven't had any experience outside of this country. Now I have my chance! I will be traveling to Kenya for three weeks volunteering my time in special needs program. In Kenya, the majority of the nation's culture stems from family values and beliefs, and the expectation for each child is to be able to contribute while at home and then ultimately fend for themselves once they are adults. However, there are increasing numbers of children born with either mental or physical disabilities such as Cerebral Palsy and Down Syndrome. There are also many children and adults who become disabled through the course of their lives. Disability awareness is not common or widely-recognized and as a result many children and adults are hidden from public view by their families due to a lack of knowledge or support. During my time in Kenya I am going to be involved in the program by helping with daily living tasks, education and awareness among families and communities, and also providing care, physiotherapy and rehabilitation for the child or adult, including training for the family and supporting community. Although I am excited and nervous for this program to begin I need your help!! I created this page to gather donations so it will allow me to make a difference, even after my volunteering trip is over. I understand everyone is in varying levels of financial stability, so ANY money you feel you are able to contribute will be well used in the Kenyan community! Below is a direct message from one of the girls I connected with who has volunteered with this special needs program in the past:

"So, the program is basically assisting staff to look after 21 high care special needs children and young people. Most of the children cannot walk and talk. We assisted in personal care (bathing dressing toileting etc), all cleaning and cooking. The rest of the time we spent teaching and just hanging out with the children. My first couple of days were very emotionally challenging because of the high level of disadvantage and it is very confronting work, but after those few days, I slowly started to enjoy it and by the end I absolutely loved it! It was the best and most rewarding experience. Another volunteer and myself started a vegetable garden and chicken farm project for the house and also purchased a lot of other things that they needed. I suggest you do some fund raising as they rely soley on donations to survive and they really need financial assistance. Bring lots of energy and love. Don't bring anything with you purchase it all over here. The house has an never ending list!!"

Here are some of the items that your donations will be going to:
Vitamins/Calcium tablets
Antibiotics, antiseptics
Medical family guides
Any books and/or research on health care relevant to Africa
First aid materials
Hankies
Children's clothing
Balloons
Bubble Solution
Face Paint
Music player and some children's music
Musical instruments
Stickers, stamps and certificates
Group games such as bingo, snakes and ladders, twister etc.
Coloured drawing paper
Pencils/Pens/Markers/Crayons
Sharpeners and Erasers (these are very important)
Books (any type)
Posters
Colored pavement chalk
Chalk
Sanitary Towels

Thank you for taking the time to read this, I truly appreciate it! Feel free to contact me personally and I will be more than happy to answer any questions you might have or send you my verification letter from IVHQ. Thanks so much again and I look forward to sharing stories of my trip and adventures in Kenya.