Reaching out to people with disability?

Once again TVT has reached out to the people with disability and with a renewed pledge to stand by them in their struggle to provide for themselves in line with the principle that disability is not inability.  In July 2015, TVT in partnership with Association of People with Disability in Kenya (APDK) organized a mini medical camp to educate and support people with disability with appliances and supplies that would enable them to go about their own business like any other abled person. TVT used the same occasion to invite parents and relatives of people with disability to learn from APDK officials on how to take care of their family members who have some form of disability. 

In this part of Kenya there is a misconception that a child born with disability is cursed by gods or has been bewitched and in many cases they are locked indoors to prevent people from seeing them. Many end up dying and this is why TVT and APDK have continued to collaborate in creating awareness and encouraging parents to bring their children to the TVT medical camps for review and support. 

Due to  TVT ‘s efforts this  particular medical camp had a lot of children with  disability  and parents shared their anguish of having to take care of big children with  disabilities and at the  same time fed for the younger able bodies ones. Even though there are schools for children with disability, many are poor resourced with no trained caretakers and with no facilities. TVT has promised to continue highlighting the plight of the people with disability and to call on partners to link up with TVT to address this urgent social need. People with disability have equal rights with the able bodied people and   during the TVT medical camps, sentiments of discrimination were echoed by all those present.

APDK used the same occasion to hand over the appliances and supplies to the people with disabilities whose measurements had been taken during the previous medical camp. Unfortunately due to the lack of finances, APDK and TVT were not able to meet the demand for wheel chairs and tricycles as requested.  However, there is hope that donors will be identified to support production of wheel chairs and tricycles. Success stories were share by those who got tricycles of how they are to move about by themselves whereas before they had been confined to their houses with no hope.  On that day they shared with the others of their new found sense of hope for a better tomorrow.

New measures for the appliances needed by the people who attended the mini medical camp.  Funds are needed to produce the appliances for those who attended the medical camp. TVT therefore appeals to donors of wheel chairs, tricycles and walking canes, clutches and special shoes.