Persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Kisii County, received donations of wheelchairs and other mobility aids from the Walkabout Foundation on September 19, 2023. The donation was made in partnership with the Kisii County Government.
Over 100 PWDs received wheelchairs, while others received crutches, walkers, and other mobility aids. The donation was made to help PWDs move around more easily and independently.
The selected beneficiaries were drawn from all nine sub-counties including women, children with cerebral palsy, and men.
In his speech read by the Kisi County Assembly Speaker Dr. Philip Nyanumba Kisii County Governor Simba Arati thanked the foundation for partnering with the county to ensure that the beneficiaries are supported so that they can lead better lives.
“To identify the beneficiaries, as County Government, through the Department of Administration and health practitioners, we undertook an assessment of the PWDs in all the nine sub-counties, with a focus on the persons with mobility challenges,” said Arati.
The Governor said following the assessment, there is a need for a comprehensive community-based household identification and assessment targeting PWDs in the county to bring on board the bedridden cases who aren’t able to access medical and rehabilitation services due to high poverty levels in some affected households.
“These are cases where caregivers are forced to carry them to health facilities and there is a need for supportive intervention,” he regretted.
Arati said his administration is considering employment opportunities and is set to introduce aspects of inclusion, like sports activities for PWDs such as sitting Volleyball and para-athletics alongside giving them equitable opportunities in accessing county tenders.
“The County Government of Kisii, aware and willing to work with and promote the welfare of persons with disabilities, is ready to bring in partners such as the WalkAbout Foundation, to help alleviate the suffering faced by persons with mobility challenges and other forms of disability,” he said.
The Walkabout Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides wheelchairs and other mobility aids to people in need around the world.
The foundation was founded in 2010 by a group of friends who were inspired to help after seeing the challenges faced by PWDs in Kenya.