The advent of the COVID-19pandemic in Kenya and the world was received by Parents of children with disabilities with trepidation. In Kenya, the Ministry of Education announced school closure and advised that all people should isolate in place.
Parents of children with various disabilities were the first to comply. There was fear in many families as news from the west (Europe & the US) indicated that persons with disabilities were at greater risk of dying if infected with COVID-19.
Parents of children with disabilities began to lose jobs earlier in the Pandemic. There were hard choices that needed to be made in families. Schools had not made plans for the continuity of special needs education and established support systems normally comprised of nannies and therapists crumpled in the wake of the pandemic.
Parents were forced to rise above their caregiver roles to now be special needs teachers and therapists for their children while trying to maintain employment or look for new work. All this as well as isolate in place to keep their children safe.
ADAT Foundation has since March 2020 been providing emergency food and other supplies (diapers and sanitary towels), to some 580 parents of children with disabilities spread across Kenya. With the kind assistance of corporate organizations and persons of good will, families that were lacking food, diapers, sanitary towels and face masks are reached through the volunteer-based parent network. All Volunteers are Parents of children with disabilities and therefore the work they do is not just
Great am proud to a such organization to empower parents of children living with disabilities.. May God bless whoever came up with the idea…. Am in nakuru where most parents with children living with disabilities also us included suffered a lot due to Corona virus disease…. I hope and trust this organization that will help us… Am David Ndegwa also a PWD… Thanks in advance.
Thank you David. We are doing our best.