For A Better Life

Maria (left) with one of the families served by The Action Foundation.

Maria Omare is still a young woman, not yet 30 years old. There is much that she has accomplished. She completed a bachelors degree at Kenyatta University in Foods, Nutrition, and Dietetics. She has continued her education at the masters level in the same field, with a research focus on neurodevelopmental disorders. That's just her education.

Maria's passion is being able to help children with special needs. She spent some time volunteering in homes and institutions housing children with disabilities. She became aware that there were more severe challenges faced by these children. As Maria says, "Social stigma and discrimination has led to families hiding [their disabled children] and locking them up in their homes." Add these social pressures to the inability to access health care and educational services, along with the economic deprivation when families live in the Kibera slums of Nairobi, Kenya, and you have children who receive very little assistance to be the best they can be.



If not for someone like Maria Omare, life would be bleak, indeed, for these little ones. You see, while engaged in completing her own education, Maria founded and is executive director of THE ACTION FOUNDATION in Kenya, whose mission is to provide "accessible health care and support to children with disabilities and their families". The organization is seeking to remove barriers for children with disabilities by offering community-based rehabilitation and to raise awareness about issues that affect these children.

The rehabilitation center built by the foundation provides a wide range of therapeutic services, like physical and occupational therapy, speech therapy, art therapy, nutrition, and psychosocial support. Parents volunteer their assistance and pay a small fee to access services for their children. Outreach includes educational campaigns, events, and informational talks. They also provide assistive devices, reconstructive surgery, and advice on accessibility. The long term goal is to facilitate a more inclusive society.

Ways for interested individuals to help include monetary donations, sponsoring a child who needs services, volunteering, and internships associated with college education.  Remember that this organization is providing hope and a future for children with special challenges, who had previously received no help at all. The future is looking brighter for them and the community in which they live.

One of the children receiving physical therapy.

Thanks to this article from Pollination Project: https://thepollinationproject.org/grants-awarded/maria-omare-action-center/, and this article from Akili Dada fellowship program: http://www.akilidada.org/past-fellows.

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