About the Home
Ndanai Small Home is a residence for disabled children next to the Ndanai Primary School in the Kericho region. This small home was established by the government in 1986, but later closed for lack of funds. It was reopened in 2003 under the leadership of manager Justus Tanui. It consists of dorms and toilets for children, plus a kitchen and dining facility, a physiotherapy room, office space, and a well. Currently, there are 20 boys and 16 girls living in the residence. Two staff assist operating the residence, while two special education teachers assist the children who are integrated into the classes across the schoolyard.
When ABW discovered the small home, the disabled children were required to sleep in bunk beds and eat in their dorms in desks wedged between the beds. We first built a kitchen and accessible dining area in 2007, following that with roomy dormitories for boys and girls with a capacity of 30 each, and office space on the side of the boys’ dorm. (The old boys’ dorm was converted to a physiotherapy room.) We provided a well and water system, improved the site drainage, and installed sidewalks to allow children in wheelchairs or on crutches to move around the site more easily. Recently we added a basketball court. Many of the children at Ndanai have received corrective surgeries funded by ABW.
Notable Features
• A government-paid physiotherapist from another project ABW has supported also assists children at Ndanai. Other volunteer physiotherapists with ABW have helped with assessments and therapy plans.
• Manager Justus Tanui has incorporated adapted games/competitions to allow disabled children to participate in physical activities, and has received several awards for his work.