By Scovian Lillian
Busia County, Kenya: Unemployment, stigma, and discrimination are the key issues faced by persons with disabilities in most parts of Busia County and other parts of the Country. Shocking as it is in this modern day, some families still hide their children who have disabilities in their houses, denying them the right to education among other rights.
It is for this reason that a group of persons with disabilities came up with the Malaba South Disabled Group in Teso North, Busia County to champion their rights and empower each other.
The group consists of 385 members and it comprises men, women, children, and the youth. Members meet on the 17th of every month to discuss various issues affecting them. The agendas are set depending on the issues arising each month.
Although they do not have an office and meet under a tree, the forum prides itself in various achievements. It has, for instance, championed the rights to education and health. They also want to kill the notion that persons with disabilities are beggars, which is a common misconception they come across while interacting with other people.
“When I discovered that there was a mother who was hiding a deaf child in her house I visited her. I talked to her to allow the child to mingle with others, but she was adamant that the child would be stigmatized. I went to the village chief for intervention and the mother eventually agreed to grant the child freedom,” says Evans Okoit the group’s secretary.
Passionate about what he does, Okoit who has a physical disability revealed that have championed the education needs of children with disabilities in schools.
“We had cases where deaf children, children with slow speech, and children with physical disabilities were mixed in classes together with other normal children in public schools. We managed to get them out and enrolled them in different special needs schools that match their education needs and they are thriving,” he adds.
Elizabeth Amai is a member of the group. She says that her deaf son, who is aged 15, joined a public school with other children without disabilities but faced stigma from both pupils and teachers.
“One day the chairman of the group visited me, and he insisted that I enroll my son at a school for children with special needs. After enrolling at the school for children with special needs, his grades improved and he is always top of his class. He has even shaken hands with the President of Kenya and I am very proud of him because he is brilliant. My son Samwel Ojuma is now in class six and speaks fluently using sign language. I would like to see other children with disabilities in this area thrive like him instead of being hidden at home,” she says.
Besides the challenges with education, most persons with disabilities, especially physical disabilities, have challenges with accessing healthcare because of the long distances to health facilities and long queues once they get there. This challenge was addressed after the group was recognized by the Association for the Physically Disabled of Kenya (APDK). They now have mobile clinics where members can easily access free healthcare services monthly.
Willimina Asikuku, who has a physical disability, says that the monthly clinics are beneficial.
“The mobile clinics have brought medical services closer unlike before. This is good for me since I cannot walk and most health facilities are too far from this place,” she says.
The group has also managed to get all members a national disability card that identifies one as a PWD and the type of disability one has.
In the financial year 2021-2022, the group bought a one-acre piece of land through the Ward Development Fund facilitated by the Member of the County Assembly of Teso North. They intend to build an office on the piece of land.
In 2019, the group received a kSh40,000 grant from the County Special Services for table banking to empower women in business.
The group’s chairman Simon Barasa, who has albinism, says that the group has bigger dreams to grow together. He also hopes that schools for children with special needs will be expanded.
“We do not have enough special needs schools and we hope that we shall get one in Malaba and all the areas in Teso and Busia county to empower our children with an education which is key for development,” he said.
