Kupenda for the Children

Kupenda ("love" in Kiswahili) for the Children has developed disability advocacy and training programs geared towards transforming negative beliefs surrounding disability to those that improve children's lives. Kupenda's vision is for a fully integrated society where people of all abilities have access to health, education, and a loving community. Kupenda focuses on changing the views of community members and leaders who, in many areas of the world, view people impacted by disability as cursed, leading to their neglect, abandonment, abuse, rape, and murder.

Kupenda's multilevel strategy is consistent with the social ecological model for social and behavioral changes that improve the lives of people living with disabilities:

Individual and family: Kupenda supports individuals impacted by disabilities and their families with community-based rehabilitation and equips them to advocate for their rights.

Community: Kupenda creates training and outreach care programs to address harmful beliefs and practices perpetrated at the community level by families, leaders, and residents and train them as disability advocates.

Environmental: Kupenda focuses is efforts to influence the economic and policy environment by equipping people impacted by disability and influential leaders to create systemic changes that support disability justice.

Global: Kupenda forges ongoing partnerships to provide technical assistance to government partners and other organizations to implement best practices for disability inclusion and then partners with these entities for broader influence.

The organization's strategy is directed towards four major program areas:

Advocacy Program - Educating families and communities about the rights of children with disabilities and how to support them by advocating for their medical care, education, legal rights, and inclusion in all aspects of society

Education Program - Supporting children with disabilities to access appropriate, high-quality education while supporting the staff and infrastructure of their schools

Medical Care Program - Connecting children with disabilities to appropriate medical services, including surgeries, medications, and therapy

Livelihoods/Economic Empowerment Program - Supporting access to employment and economic activities to support individuals and families impacted by disabilities to achieve more sustainable income generation

Visit us at www.kupenda.org to learn more!