Parents and the community at large have been urged to show children with special needs more love to make them feel they belong.
This was the rallying call as more than 2,500 children with special needs from 19 schools in the coastal region were treated to a day of fun at Shree Cutchi Leva Patel Samaj hall in Nyali, Mombasa, on Saturday.
The children were treated to games, songs, dances, interesting plays and were showered with gifts.
The fun day, dubbed Sunshine Rally, was sponsored by Mombasa Cement Ltd.
“Rotary International requested us to partner and we are the platinum sponsors of the Sunshine Rally. We have gathered here today to show these children that people care for them and they are not alone,” said Jayendra Hirani, the manager of Sahajanda Special School.
He said because Mombasa Cement CEO Hasmukh Patel (deceased) had a big heart for children, he initiated the Sahajanand Special School to give them a better life.
“All these children with disabilities you see here have a home and a future. They know they have somebody somewhere who loves and cares for them,” Hirani said.
The governor of Rotary District 9212, which covers Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Eritrea, Joe Kamau, said the Sunshine Rally, which was started 43 years ago, is meant to show children with special needs that they are loved.
“It is also to inspire and give them hope,” he said.
Kamau said more private sector players should chip in and help the government better take care of special needs children.
The Rotary District 9212 governor said although the government has done its part to ensure such children have comfortable lives, it is overwhelmed and needs complementary help from the private sector.
“I know we have departments in government that deal with these children, but I believe possibly they have many constraints. And that’s why the private sector like us and Mombasa Cement come in and see how we can chip in and supplement what the government is doing,” Kamau said.
He said disability is not inability and the special needs children have their own different skills that can be useful in society.
“They are not different from anybody else. We’ve seen people with disabilities being the best of innovators in technology and many other areas,” Kamau said.
“I am glad the school Mombasa Cement is running is giving kids the opportunity to excel,” he said.
As Rotarians, Kamau said, basic education is one of the areas of focus.
Rose Chege, the Rotary district 9212 community service chairperson, said the Sunshine Rally is an annual event that seeks to create an impact in the lives of the special needs children in Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea and South Sudan.
“Playing with these children inspires them. They feel they too can make it like any other children if you show them there is no difference between the able-bodied children and them,” she said.
Rotary International, founded in 1905, is one of the largest service organisations in the world that helps communities worldwide.
There are 1.4 million members of Rotary International in the world, with a presence in more than 200 countries.
The Sunshine Rally started 43 years ago, with about 300 children.
Today it has grown to five regions in Kenya including Coast, Nairobi, Central, Western and Rift Valley.
“We are all volunteers. We volunteer to give our time, resources and skills to better the world,” he said. Sahajanand Special School is one of the largest special schools in Kenya, built on 25 acres in Mtwapa, Kilifi county