This weekend at church I had the chance to meet and talk with Janet, the woman who is the chief of a slum area called Matisi. On a daily basis, she meets with and talks to countless people in the community and tries to help them when she can. As we were talking I told her about my passion for children with disabilities and we started talking about some children that she knows that live in Matisi. So today we went out and got to meet three very special little boys all from Matisi. 

The first boy that we met was named Reinhard. He is nine years old and has cerebral palsy. He can’t walk or talk, but he can sit on his own. Unlike most kids from this area, his mother has some resources to ensure that he is well taken care of. He was very clean and healthy and you can tell that his mother really loves him. Still, now that he is older and still needs the same care that an infant does things are hard. She has a five month old baby and is now unable to work because she knows how important it is to care for her children first. 

Then we met Charles, who is a quiet and shy seven year old boy. He is currently in school, but the teachers told his mother that he doesn’t want to learn. Charles has trouble sitting through the class day and kind of does what he wants in class. He started talking when he was five years old and his speech is a little slow and mumbled now. There have been times when he just leaves school on his own and he can’t find his way back home. He can read short words and just needs a more direct one on one attention to help keep his focus, which is difficult in the crowded public schools in Kenya so he is having trouble understanding what is being taught in the classroom. His teacher told his mother too look for a special school for him, but the family can’t afford the fees because all of those schools are located too far from his home. 

Then we met Shadrak. He was a little scared of me at first, but warmed up as soon as I took one picture and let him see. Shadrak lives in Kipsongo and goes to the children’s feeding program during the day. He is deaf and the doctor’s told his father that he just needs hearing aides and he would be fine. However, in Kenya, especially in Kipsongo hearing aides are too expensive for this family to afford. 

These three sweet kids are all very unique and so are the issues that their families face. Many of these parents are trying to do what’s best for their children, but the help is beyond what they can provided given their limited resources. Please keep these boys in your prayers because we know that only God can meet their needs.