Repairing the Home of 60 Disabled Girls

We are raising $12,000 to repair the Limuru Cheshire Home, which houses 60 disabled girls and young women near Nairobi, Kenya. Because of a lack of funds, due primarily to coronavirus, the home is unsafe and in a state of significant disrepair. The home needs roof repairs, mold cleanup, electrical and plumbing repairs, and new windows so the elements and rodents are kept out. 

Any funds received over $12,000 will be used to hire additional staff so the residents can stay at Cheshire year-round. The girls and young women currently must return to their villages during school breaks, where many are subjected to physical and sexual abuse. Life is hard for girls in Kenya, but for girls with disabilities, their lives can only be described as horrific. Cheshire is the only safe place for them. 

I can assure you that all funds donated will be guarded carefully and used efficiently because my friend Ann Strandoo, who works for the United Nations, and runs the non-profit Refugees in Schools, and her husband Reed, live across the street from Cheshire. Reed, who has a construction background, and Ann will be overseeing all repairs. 

Please scroll down to see a picture of some of the young women. 

Here are some words from Ann: 

“The Cheshire Home is located in Limuru, Kenya just 15 miles outside of the capital city Nairobi. It is a residential and vocational training center for 60 young girls and women ranging in age from 12 to 25. The residents live with a wide range of disabilities such as down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism, and developmental disabilities. Sister Banda of the Sisters of the Assumption was recently appointed Director of the home.  She is a passionate and dedicated leader who sees each resident for the unique individual that she is.

The residents learn beadwork and dressmaking along with life skills such as gardening and cooking to prepare them for a life of independence. The Cheshire Home has a self-sustainable model. They sell their organic farm vegetables and handicrafts made by the residents to the local markets to pay for running the Home. 

But two years of Covid have resulted in no sales and no income. The double whammy of the drought crisis in northern Kenya means that regular donations have been redirected. The Home is in desperate need of repairs. The girls are living with broken toilets, faulty electricity, mold, and a leaking roof (we get more 35 inches of rain per year here in Limuru). With the funds we raise we will make the house safe, comfortable, and dignified for the girls and women living here.  

In Kenya, disability carries a massive, negative stigma. It is even worse for girls, who are already less valued in society. There is no safety net. There is no Special Education in the public school system. Many of these young women have suffered abuse and neglect before coming to live at Cheshire. D. is a young woman with Down’s Syndrome. Her father rejected her and abandoned D. and her mother when she was born. Her mother earns $5 per day picking tea leaves. Before she came to live at Cheshire, D. was locked in a small room all day with a bucket to use as a toilet because there was no safe place for her to go when her mom was at work.  A neighbor told her about The Cheshire Home and now D. has a safe home, nutritious meals, and she is learning a skill to support herself. Sister Banda works with educating D.’s mother on how to develop a support system so that when she returns home on school breaks, she is cared for and safe. Without Cheshire, D. and the other girls and women would be living in awful conditions without love, safety and the friendships they now enjoy.”