According to the World Health Organization, almost 15% of the world’s population – about one billion people – live with disabilities. According to the World Report on Disability, of this group, at least one in 10 are children and 80% of them live in developing countries like Kenya. The vast majority, some 90% of children living with disabilities in developing countries, do not attend school.
Because of the societal stigma that accompanies having a child living with a disability, parents or guardians often lock these children up in their homes. Others are not given enough food, let alone a balanced diet, since the food itself is not available.
Building on the Millennium Development Goals, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), agreed by 193 world leaders in 2015, are a 17-point plan to end poverty, combat climate change and fight injustice and inequality. Sustainable Development Goal 4 calls for inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all.
In response to these conditions, The Ed Colina Foundation has recently completed construction of an outreach center for children with severe developmental disabilities. The Otunga or “O” Center is designed to provide direct care for some children with severe disabilities and serve as a central facility through which social service workers can locate children with disabilities and provide direct, occupational and therapeutic aid for the children themselves as well as their families. While we cannot singlehandedly change the plight of the disabled in Kenya, we are committed to facilitating good health and wellbeing as broadly as possible. More On The O Center