Over 100 children with various forms of mental disabilities in Emurua Dikirr Constituency, Narok County, had reason to smile after their special school in Ndamana Sub-location received three furnished classrooms sponsored by the National Fund for Disability in Kenya.
The children at the Lelagoin Special School, located in Ndamana Sub-location, will now be able to learn with less congestion and in better clusters according to their special needs.
Speaking at the institution during the handing over, the school head teacher, Johnson Mokua Mose, said the classrooms would ease the teachers’ work because the children required spacious rooms.
However, Mose appealed for more assistance to construct a dormitory, saying the children lived far from the institution and met many challenges along the way.
Noting that only less than half of the children attended school regularly, Mose explained that the teachers had to assist the rest from their homes due to the severity of their disability which prevented them from reaching the institution.
He also appealed for help to construct a sanitary facility, saying the one available was inadequate, being shared by both genders.
Mose also noted a need for a better kitchen, physiotherapy facilities, and water storage facilities at the institution.
The head teacher noted that the school had 11 teachers, four of whom were female and two support staff.
He cited various types of mental handicaps affecting the children and appealed for the deployment of more teachers to reach the required ratio of 1 teacher to 4 mentally handicapped learners.
Residents applauded the national fund for the project saying it will go a long way in easing the discomfort of the children and their parents at the school.
Isaac Kibet appealed to the two levels of government to uplift the nearby Kelonget Health Centre and equip it with the physiotherapy equipment among other facilities to help the children who needed the services.
Kibet appealed to the relevant authorities to improve the infrastructure, including nearby roads and bridges, because some children walked over long distances of up to 10 km to reach the school.
He regretted the demise of one child who was recently carried away by raging floods because he did not have stability due to his disability.
Wickliffe Cheruiyot said the dorms will help prevent child abuse like defilement in the bushes along the way.
Leading a team of NFDK trustees, Major (Rtd.) Marsden Herman Madoka applauded the Kenyans who offered any assistance to persons with disability and called for more support, especially to parents of children with mental handicaps.
Madoka explained that the project had cost the National Fund Sh2.9 million.
He pledged to support the institution with another Sh300,000 for sanitation soon.
By Jane Naitore
