Kupenda for the Children

Educates families and communities about the rights of children with disabilities and advocates for their medical care, education, legal rights, and inclusion.

MISSION "Kupenda ("love" in Kiswahili) for the Children is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that transforms harmful beliefs surrounding disability to those that improve children's lives. VISION Kupenda's vision is for a fully integrated society where people of all abilities have access to health, education, and a loving community. NEED In many areas of the world, people impacted by disability are viewed as cursed, leading to their neglect, abandonment, abuse, rape, and murder. According to the World Health Organization, "A billion people in the world, 15% of the population, have a disability severe enough that it limits their participation in family, community and political life." Among these, children with disabilities are one of the most marginalized and excluded groups in society. AFFILIATE Kupenda for the Children is registered in the U.S., and its affiliate organization, Kuhenza for the Children, is registered in Kenya. Both organizations report to their respective national governments, manage their own operational funds, and are overseen by their own Boards of Directors. Each year, Kuhenza and Kupenda collaboratively fundraise to support their joint projects. The organizations have been co-designing and co-implementing disability programs since 2003. GEOGRAPHY Kupenda's innovation center is in the Kilifi County of Kenya but the organization's model and materials are also being used in Malawi, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Burundi, the DRC, Austria and Haiti and are relevant for use in all low and middle-income countries. BENEFICIARIES Kupenda works with children and youth between the ages of 0 and 25 who are living with a long-term disability. They use the United Nation’s definition of disability which includes “those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments, which in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.” Some examples of their beneficiaries’ disabilities include Albinism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Bipolar Disorder, Blindness and Visually Impairment, Brittle Bone Disease (Osteogenesis Imperfecta), Cerebral Palsy (CP), Cleft Palate or Lip, Club Foot (Talipes), Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), Down Syndrome, Dwarfism, Dyslexia, Epilepsy, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorders (FASD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Hearing Impairment, Hydrocephalus, Limb Deformity, Loss, or Reduction, Major Depression, Microcephaly, Muscular Dystrophy, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD), Schizophrenia, Spina Bifida (SB), Spinal Cord Injury, Spine Curvature Disorders, Tourette Syndrome and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). HISTORY Leonard Mbonani, a Kenyan special needs teacher, met Cynthia Bauer, an American graduate student, while she was conducting wildlife research on the Kenyan coast in 1999. Cynthia was born without her left hand and discovered that many people in Kenya believed disabilities like hers were caused by curses and she may have even been killed if she had been born there. This knowledge inspired Cynthia to respond when Leonard introduced her to children with disabilities who did not have access to medical care or education. In addition to providing educational assistance, Cynthia and Leonard supported medical interventions, and worked with families and communities to change superstitions connected to disability. Because of these efforts and needs, Kupenda for the Children was registered as an official nonprofit in 2003 with the vision of a fully-integrated society where people of all abilities have access to health, education, and a loving community. PROGRAMS - Advocacy Program: Educating families and communities about the rights of children with disabilities and how to support them by advocating for their medical care, education, legal rights, and inclusion in all aspects of society - Education Program: Supporting children with disabilities to access appropriate, high-quality education while supporting the staff and infrastructure of their schools - Medical Care Program: Connecting children with disabilities to appropriate medical services including surgeries, medications, and therapy TECHNICAL SERVICES Kupenda is a niche organization focused on improving justice, care and inclusion for families impacted by disability. Each year, Kupenda's work improves quality of life for more than 70,000 children with disabilities in low- and middle-income countries. This success and the organization's 20 years of disability program design and implementation experience qualifies Kupenda to provide the following technical services: - Training and Counseling for Individuals with Disabilities, their Families, and Community Leaders - Adaptation and Testing of Materials and Services - Community or Program Disability Needs Assessments - Disability Program Monitoring and Evaluation Support - Consultation on Disability Inclusion Programming and Best Practices - Disability Grant/Proposal Research and Writing Support STRATEGY Kupenda's multilevel strategy is consistent with the social ecological model for social and behavior changes that improve the lives of people living with disabilities: - Individual and family: Kupenda supports individuals impacted by disabilities and their families with community-based rehabilitation and equip them to advocate for their rights. - Community: Kupenda addresses harmful beliefs and practices perpetrated at the community level by families, leaders and residents and train them as disability advocates. - Environmental: Kupenda influences the economic and policy environment by equipping people impacted by disability and influential leaders to create systemic changes that support disability justice. - Global: Kupenda provides technical assistance to government partners and other organizations to implement best practices for disability inclusion and then partner with these entities for broader influence.