Disability inclusion means understanding the relationship between the way people function and how they participate in society, and making sure everybody has the same opportunities to participate in every aspect of life to the best of their abilities and desires.
The importance of “inclusion” is huge. Our children want to be part of the community like everyone else. Our parents, like every parent, want a safe school and a safe environment for their child.
Schooling
Our children are now often denied admission to government schools because of their disabilities. We are regularly told “he is crazy”, or “we have 60 more children in class so don't have time for it”, or “we don't know what to do with it”. We often offer to provide on-site support to the schools themselves, but we are usually told that they don't have the time (or inclination?) to do so. Children then come to us. It is our aim that all children feel at home, feel safe and can develop at their own pace.
Parents
Parents are an important lynchpin in our NGO. We speak to parents every day when children are picked up and brought home. We deliberately do not do boarding, because we think it is important that children grow up in their own familiar environment, with parents or caregivers. Unfortunately, we regularly see that one or both parents cannot/will not take care of the child. Shame (I don't have a child with a disability), not being able to handle the care, and of course the fact that there is no safety net. There are no institutions here where you can take your child when it has a disability. So you are housebound as a parent and you can't go to work, because these children have nowhere to go. The fact that on the island there is a huge lack of knowledge, there is still a taboo, there are no institutions and therefore no safety net, means that many parents give up their children. Or children are neglected. Children then often end up with a family member (usually grandmother) who takes care of them, so parents can work and provide an income. We try to support the parents as much as possible and allow the children to live at home. We support where necessary financially/materially and anyway emotionally. We organize meetings every 3 months where parents can share their stories.
Abuse
Our children are vulnerable and unfortunately this is sometimes abused in the community. Children have been lured away from their families and we have children who have been abused/raped, often with the reason that they can't talk anyway or don't understand what is happening to them. We have close contact with the parents and of course take immediate action when something occurs. However, we would like to work towards a 100% safe environment for our children.
Hotel
November 2024 our new hotel will be opened. Previously, in our guesthouse in Paje, our 16+ talents worked in the hotel. Also now, at our new location in Jambiani we will offer our talents a place within the hotel. When the children are old enough, they will be trained in the bar, the kitchen, as security, “fundi” or gardener. In this way our kids have a meaningful day and are a valuable part of the community.
In the future we also want to organize kids clubs within the hotel, where local and international kids play together with our kids on Saturdays. We also want to organize swimming lessons at our hotel for everyone, so both our unique talents and kids from outside. We can learn from each other and support each other. Tupopamoja