Special Needs Children In A Subsistence Community

Help can come with such basics as additional nutrition. 

In some developing nations of Africa, subsistence living can barely sustain adults and children. But when one person in the family has special needs, society misses even recognizing those needs, much less being able to meet them.

Back in 2012, four parents of special needs children, plus Claudia Patka, a student volunteer, got together and formed CHILD DESTINY FOUNDATION, a nonprofit organization that would provide the missing infrastructure and facilities needed by special needs individuals, mainly in Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya. The idea was to provide a package of services to provide such necessary services as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, community support, and parental support and empowerment.



Alex Omondi, one of the founding parents, explains, "Due to high level of unemployment and underemployment, poverty rules these 'ghettoes', and the devastating effects are obviously evident in the living conditions of inhabitants. Here, many people struggle to meet their basic human needs, but worse off are the children with special needs and their families. They cannot afford the special attention that their children deserve."

All of the services, from physical therapy to speech therapy, and occupational therapy are provided at no cost to the families. The foundation also provides parent support groups, where families can share their experiences and feelings.

Mr. Omondi added, "This project is committed to provide free access to therapy and rehabilitation services to children with special needs, but we hope it will be a launch pad of a bigger multidimensional initiative to address the various complex challenges affecting people with special needs."

No longer alone, families are receiving the critical assistance for special needs children that they require.

Since its founding The Child Destiny Foundation has added programs, including home and community care support to help with activities of daily living, campaigns to raise awareness and provide advocacy, primary care for contagious illnesses and other communicable diseases, and programs to address HIV prevention and care. There are also programs to develop peer educators and address maternal child health needs. It's a program that keeps growing to meet the needs and it has developed a relationship with The Child Destiny Foundation in Austria, which has given them a greater supply of shared resources.

It doesn't always have to be serious; fun can be shared with other members of the community.

Thanks for information from this article from Pollination Project: https://thepollinationproject.org/grants-awarded/alex-omondi-child-destiny-foundation-village-clinic/; this page from Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/Child-Destiny-Foundation-173606562835169/about/?ref=page_internal; and this page from Child Destiny Foundation: http://www.childdestinyfoundation.org/projects-and-programs.html.

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Bringing Fresh Produce To The Detroit African-American Community

Children take a hayride with staff at DBCFSN's 2-acre farm.

Bright spots can be found in just about any community, even those that have received a lot of bad press. The same is true of Detroit, where the city population has continued to decline, leaving vacant and decaying homes. It's an organization that has been bringing self-reliance, food security, and food justice to the black community.

Established in 2006, the DETROIT BLACK COMMUNITY FOOD SECURITY NETWORK (DBCFSN) has been bringing opportunities for African-Americans in Detroit to participate in the food movement. Through its programs, this organization has been reducing the number of areas in which people have no access to fresh, healthy, nutritional, and culturally appropriate foods/produce. From planting gardens to developing a mini-farm, and adding a two-acre farm in a public park, the organization showcases a variety of ways to grow fruits and vegetables, in a sustainable manner, completely chemical-free.



But that's not all. Adults and children have access to educational programs run by DBCFSN. The Food Warriors program works with three city schools to provide hands-on education about various aspects of the food system. A lecture series geared to adults provides them with information about the various issues involved with the food system.

Still in the process of development is a food co-op, designed primarily to be accessed by members of the African-American community with low to moderate incomes, rather than being placed in an affluent section of the city. Like other food co-ops, it would be cooperatively owned by members of the community, who also elect nine of the board members. When it is completed, it is expected to employ twenty people.

Members of the community tour D-Town Farm.

The food co-op is to be part of a larger complex, the Detroit Food Commons, which is also being developed by DBCFSN. Included in the complex will be a kitchen incubator, which is to provide food entrepreneurs with a licensed facility and equipment for preparing food and selling it to the public. Additional features include a healthy foods cafe and a venue for meetings, lectures, films, performances, and other types of events. Grants, loans, and memberships in the co-op are expected to fund these endeavors.

Malik Yakini, one of the co-founders, at a garden site.

Thanks for information from this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/D-TownFarm-452559591479594/about/?ref=page_internal; this page on DBCFSN: https://detroitblackfoodsecurity.org/educational-youth-programs/; this page on DBCFSN: https://detroitblackfoodsecurity.org/about-us/; and the above link.

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Bringing Hope And Services To Cherry Hill

Some of those who participated in the Prayer Walk.

Frequently, when the names of US cities are uttered, the thought can come of a vibrant and teeming city full of activities and interesting people. But when the names of some cities are mentioned, there is also the thought of urban ills, of neighborhoods deteriorating, of high numbers of killings, of addictions run rampant, of children losing hope. Visions of our cities are not just either/or, but a mixture of those views of the extremes. Such is true of the City of Baltimore.

However, let's not look at what the City is; let's look at a relatively young organization in Baltimore. Started in 2011, under the inspiration of Michael Battle Jr., RESTORING INNER CITY HOPE (RICH) was built to empower, love, and inspire, the children and families of this wonderful City of ours.



Mr. Battle is no stranger to the problems which Baltimore faces, having grown up in one of its most difficult neighborhoods, Cherry Hill. While he is aware of the difficulties and struggles that a child growing up in Baltimore faces, he also made it past those barriers through his religious beliefs, his inner strength, and dedication to transforming his community. Indeed, RICH does focus on the Cherry Hill neighborhood, starting with the first Cherry Hill Prayer Walk back in 2011. As a result of RICH working in the community, homicides and shootings have dropped in this neighborhood.

As a matter of fact, this year's Prayer Walk was held on August 12, as a combination of festival, prayer and contemplation event, health screening, and return to school support. Those who attended could find such activities as a prayer tent, podiatry exams, diabetes screening, blood pressure screening, a variety of food vendors, a moonbounce, face painting, pony rides, an appearance by the Orioles bird, Ravens players attending, various giveaways, school supplies and backpacks, even grief counseling and record expungement. This one event had a variety of services needed by the residents of the neighborhood all in one place.

The previous evening, on August 11, RICH held a pool party, the second of the summer, at the neighborhood Splash Park, from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. Children age 11 and under had to have chaperones with them. A DJ and free food was also provided and participants were not told what notable guests would be there. Events/activities like this bring a neighborhood together in a fun activity, lessening the animosity among people who know each other in friendship and fun.

Michael Battle Jr. (in front), with the Baltimore Ravens cheerleaders in a Baltimore City Police helicopter.

Even with all of the struggles in Baltimore, those who are benefiting and participating in RICH, brought donations to City Garage this past week, enough to fill tractor trailers, which are on their way to provide relief to those who suffered the trials of Hurricane Harvey. And they did it with prayerfulness and generosity, sending the Blessing Truck to those less fortunate in Houston.

Another event earlier in the year to provide haircuts and hairstyling to help youth look and feel better.

Thanks for information from this page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/therichprogram/about/?ref=page_internal; this article on RICH: http://www.therichprogram.org/new-page/; this post on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therichprogram/photos/a.1889051421343999.1073741829.1730443490538127/1891301777785630/?type=3&theater; this post on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therichprogram/photos/a.1889051421343999.1073741829.1730443490538127/1891817884400686/?type=3&theater; this post on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therichprogram/photos/a.1889051421343999.1073741829.1730443490538127/1899975566918251/?type=3&theater; and the above link.

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