500 Disabled Children in West Pokot to Get Sponsorship
The government has worked to make education more accessible to all children, regardless of intellectual or physical disabilities.
Many children with intellectual disabilities have been historically excluded from the general education system, despite the government’s desire to provide free and mandatory education for all.
In West Pokot County, the national government and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have worked together to identify the obstacles that prevent children with disabilities from attending school and how these obstacles can be overcome to ensure that all children with disabilities have equal access to basic education.
Special Olympics Kenya (SOK), a non-profit organization and registered sports federation, has launched Operation-Come-To-School, also known as the “Watoto Twende Shule Project,” to support inclusive education for students with disabilities in West Pokot County.
Esther Muchiri, the Special Olympics Kenya Project Manager, stated during the launch of the program at Horizon Resort in Kapenguria Town that the Organization is targeting 500 children with disabilities in the region, including those who have dropped out of school, those who have not yet joined school despite reaching the school-going age, and those who are at risk of dropping out of school.
Ms. Muchuri stated that the program aims to increase school enrollment and retention for children with disabilities in West Pokot County and ten other counties, including Kilifi, Nairobi, Bungoma, Marsabit, Garissa, Narok, Kajiado, Samburu, Turkana, and Isiolo.
She stated that the program aims to support 5,000 out-of-school children with disabilities between the ages of six and eighteen across the nation, and reiterated that this number may increase over time.
According to the project manager, the program would be implemented in four areas of West Pokot, including Kacheliba, Pokot North, West Pokot, and Pokot Central sub-counties.
She clarified that children with intellectual disabilities who attend school through the ‘Watoto Twende Shule Project’ would have the opportunity to develop physical fitness, show courage, experience happiness, and share gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, athletes, and the community
According to Ms. Muchiri, the program creates opportunities to address the injustices, isolation, intolerance, and inactivity that intellectually disabled individuals and their families face.
Andrew Akoule, an advocate for people with disabilities, reaffirmed that the program provides an excellent platform for increasing the literacy levels of children with disabilities throughout the county.
Numerous children with disabilities in the county have been denied access to education due to inadequate transportation and infrastructure, a lack of quality learning materials, inadequately trained teachers, and inadequate parental support.
Apollo Okello, county commissioner (CC) of West Pokot, affirmed that the program will address the obstacles faced by children with disabilities and how all children with disabilities will have equal access to education.
Okello stated that the Special Olympics Kenya programme would assist in reducing the literacy gap among all children. He also observed that the programme provided an equal chance for children with intellectual disabilities to access education.
County Education Director Simon Wamai praised the program, reiterating that the organization plays a crucial role in complementing the government’s constitutionally mandated efforts to promote access to education for all children.
The West Pokot Director for the National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) echoed the sentiments expressed by the participants, stating that the government is supporting the education of children with disabilities through scholarships and urging parents of children with disabilities to register their children for aid.
500 Disabled Children in West Pokot to Get Sponsorship