The Rotary Club of Lavington Jioni has embarked on a five-year project to build a center of excellence for deaf, blind, and visually impaired learners in Nairobi, marking a significant step toward inclusive education within the city.
The club is seeking partners to renovate and furnish dormitories, bathrooms, toilets, and matron’s living quarters to accommodate 100 deaf, blind or visually impaired learners. This will not only create a safe, inclusive, and dignified learning environment for the students but will also ease the burden on parents and allow children to learn close to home.
``This dream—to give children with disabilities in Nairobi a safe place to live and learn—is a shared hope of the entire school community. The cost of the renovation and setup of the dormitories is approximately $75,000 (9.69 million shillings),’’ The Rotary Club of Lavington Jioni President Jayne Wachira said.
Once the dormitory is completed, the project will focus on developing a farm for food, providing learning equipment and materials, improving learning spaces, setting up a school library, a sports ground and arts and music facilities.
There are only three public school units in Nairobi catering to deaf, blind, and visually impaired students, all of which face severe challenges including strained dormitories, limited sanitation facilities, and a lack of accessible, disability-friendly amenities. These conditions affect the learners’ health, safety, and ability to focus on their education.
Many students within the schools come from low-income families, and the parents struggle with the daily burden of transporting their children to and from school due to the lack of boarding facilities. This results in late arrivals, early departures, and high levels of absenteeism at work. Families are forced to send their children to boarding schools outside Nairobi, where better boarding facilities are available, separating them from their homes and communities.