The people of the rural Kabras Division in western Kenya are mostly subsistence farmers, with over 50% living below the poverty line. Some sell extra produce to get cash; a few run small shops. Those with enough land grow sugar cane as a cash crop. Although primary school was declared free in 2003, some children can’t attend because parents can’t afford uniforms; most secondaries are boarding schools and paying school fees is a constant struggle. Health facilities are few and inadequate; many parents can’t afford to take children for treatment or buy medicine. Poor nutrition increases vulnerability to disease. There is one paved road running through the Kabras division of which Malava is the center; other roads can be impassable in rainy seasons, and some places can be reached only by paths. The common mode of public transport is the bicycle taxi; one balances on a carrier seat over the rear wheel. Where possible, vans and made-over pick-ups are used. Though attitudes are beginning to change, some disabled children are still hidden. The disability may be seen as a punishment for a parent’s sin or as a curse by an enemy, an ancestor or evil spirit. Parents who don’t reject the child are often unaware that anything can be done to help, or they can’t pay. Most disabled children do not attend school.

In a survey of the 6 locations in Kabras Division, Kakamega District, Western Province, Kenya in 2003, an area of about 25x25 kilometres (15x15 miles), over 600 disabled children were found. That not all were discovered is indicated by the fact that many children now in our programme were not among them. Disabilities include birth deformity; epilepsy; vision, hearing and speech impairment; mental retardation; and impairment of body movement. Over 16% are multihandicapped. The programme’s target area includes South Kabras, East Kabras, and Shirugu locations, in which were found 335 of these children, but children from outside this area are also assisted.

June 4, 2007