Safaricom Foundation And CBM Partner For Third Phase Of Wezesha Elimu Programme
Veronica Mueni (Safaricom Area Sales Manager-Mt. Kenya Region), Caroline Karugu (Deputy Governor-Nyeri County) & Baby Joy Wamuyu
The Safaricom Foundation and international disability inclusive development organisation, CBM Kenya, have today announced the third phase of the ‘Wezesha Elimu’ porgramme. Through the programme, the two organisations aim to address the factors that limit children with disabilities from accessing education.
“We launched the first phase of the programme in 2016 with the main objective of securing education for children with disabilities in Kenya through surgical interventions and rehabilitation. Since then we have reached over 15,000 children and trained 28 community health workers and this has been made possible through countrywide mobile clinics in some of the most marginalized counties in Kenya,” said Joseph Ogutu, Chairman, Safaricom Foundation.
Safaricom Foundation has committed KES 15 million for the third phase of the project which targets over 20,000 people countrywide including children with disabilities and the general public who will be educated on disability rights awareness and inclusive education.
“This partnership has helped us raise awareness and sensitise Kenyans about the rights of children with disabilities especially when it come to access to education. From the previous phases we have seen an increased demand for surgical interventions and rehabilitation services as parents and guardians are now empowered with more information”, said Joseph Okelo, Chairman, CBM Kenya.
In the first and second phases of the programme, Safaricom Foundation invested over KES 25 million which saw 420 surgeries performed, 535 children with disabilities placed in schools and 384 Mobility assistive devices issued. 347 children also underwent rehabilitation with 879 referred for specialized treatment.
According to the National Survey on Children with Disabilities and Special Needs in Education (KISE 2017), the prevalence rate of children with special needs and disabilities aged between 3 and 21 years in Kenya is 11.4%
