Capturing the importance and impact of what Upili is doing in Kenya is best phrased by one of our own. Meet Mariam Ndegwa, Fundraising Support Officer at Upili:
I went to S.A Joytown Secondary School, where we have launched the UPILI Pilot, for four years.
When I entered Joytown culture shock hit me hard for I had never seen so many Persons with a Disability in one place.
For once in my life, I got to appreciate who I was with my Cerebral Palsy as many had more severe disabilities than I did. We all helped each other and, most importantly, thanks to the bubble the school created, I thrived.
Specialized schools in Kenya are a space of security where everyone is accepted no matter the disability. Joytown was a home away from home for us all.
When I left Joytown life wasn’t as easy. Reality kicked in and I quickly learned when I looked for work no one saw beyond my disability. People had the misperception if I came to look for a job that as a Person with a Disability, I was coming to the premises to beg not seek work.
And yet I adjusted and succeeded.
I taught myself to create a shield from discrimination and to advocate for what I needed in the workplace and beyond. I was reminded of this shield as I did school visits prior to Upili’s launch. I found myself repeatedly telling the story of how I created a shield and how it served me after leaving the safety of Joytown.
The more I spoke the more I realized it was not only a passive shield of protection, but also an active spear.
I’d learned to advocate for myself and other Persons with Disabilities at Joytown. So much so it become my job at Next Step Foundation.
This is why the group counselling Upili offers is almost more important for the students they leave campus even than when they are on. Upili helps students create their own shields and spears as Kenya, or even the world, is not yet entirely disability friendly or equipped for our Upili Participants.
I got my tools late in life, but Upili Participants will leave school able to advocate for themselves and possessing the tools required to face the world.
