New Friends in Mount Elgon

 

In January I went with a visiting team to a part of Mount Elgon called Kapsokwony to do an eye clinic. I talked to Pastor Vincent, the pastor of the church where the clinic was held, about carving out a day to go and meet more kids in his community. So last week we went and visited several children to see if there was any way that we could give them a little extra support. I was very impressed with how the parents of this area really love and go extra lengths to support their children. Most of the kids we met were in school and were well cared for. We told a few of the parents to bring their children to the orthopedic clinic that is coming to town this week to see what the doctors have to say. It was a fun and refreshing day to get to see kids that were loved and accepted for exactly who they are at home.

The first group of children we went to meet near their homes and talk to their parents about their children and help give suggestions about where they can get the support their child needs to continue to grow and thrive.

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This boy’s father is also a pastor at a local church. He brought his son, Joseph, to meet us and also talked to several of his church members and their children to talk to us as well.

Kelvin has a tumor that is obstructing his vision and his nasal cavity. It started when he was three years old and now he is six. His father showed us his CT scans and many other hospital papers from all over the country. He needs an operation to remove the tumor to prevent further damage to his eye and his parents are still trying to raise the funds.

This is Deborah. She is six years old and has cerebral palsy. Her mom takes great care of her. As we sat and talked with her mother she told us that she works with her daughter at home to stretch her muscles daily. Deborah was a little shy at first, but quickly warmed up and we got to see her sweet smile.

We also got to go to two different schools and meet with the special education teachers at each one. It was fun to get to meet them and talk about some of the challenges they face and some ways that they can help their students reach their full potential.

At the first school we got to meet sweet Tabitha. Her mother said that she has made great improvements since starting school and is now in the second grade. Her teacher said that she is a bit slow to grasp new concepts, but she spends time working with her between lessons to give her the extra support that she needs. This school integrates all of their children with disabilities, but has a teacher that works with the class teachers to make sure that the children are getting the proper support they need to learn. Tabitha was so excited to show us around her school.

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The second school that we went to gave us a warm welcome. We went in the office and talked with the teachers about some of the challenges that they face in working with children with disabilities. We also got to meet the students, hear their stories, and hear the teachers proudly talking about how much progress they had made.

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Overall it was a great day in Mount Elgon. I am excited to go back and see these sweet faces again and see their continued progress at these two wonderful schools.

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PO Box 2021-30200, Kitale, Kenya

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