ESB Electric Aid Ireland visit to CBM Kenya programme
Nairobi, Kenya - 22nd September 2009
On Tuesday 22nd September 2009, CBM Ireland was proud to host two visitors from Electric Aid Ireland to one of its largest programmes in Kenya. Des and Mary Doherty accompanied field-based CBM Ireland staff to the recently established Employment Bureau for people with disabilities in Nairobi.
The Employment Bureau was established in 2009 thanks to Electric Aid support. Its primary goal is to match employment opportunities, with people who are living with a disability in Kenya. The Bureau simultaneously lobbies employers to make workplaces accessible for people with disabilities.
Visiting the Employment Bureau was a unique opportunity for Electric Aid to see how the contributions of Irish ESB staff, impacts upon the lives of people with disabilities in Kenya. During the visit, Des and Mary Doherty had met the founder and staff of the Employment Bureau, and discussed the creation and the long term goals of the project. Stable employment is one of the most sustainable ways of releasing people with disabilities from the devastating effects of poverty.
Des and Mary visited the rehabilitation clinic where children with physical impairments receive regular physiotherapy and their parents are trained by physiotherapists in the application of exercises which can be practiced at home. They had an opportunity to speak with the doctor and physiotherapists on duty, and meet children receiving treatment and their mothers. The rehabilitation clinic is a beacon for orthopaedic care in Nairobi city, where high numbers of people living with physical impairments are greatly underserved.
Finally, the group went to the orthopaedic workshop where wheelchairs and orthopaedic appliances are manufactured and tailored to the specification of each client. The production of orthopaedic appliances is a crucial step in improving the lives of people with disabilities. The Manager of the Employment Bureau is a former patient of the rehabilitation clinic and a true example of the long term impact of orthopaedic intervention on the lives of those with disabilities.
Electric Aid has been a valued partner of CBM Ireland since 2006. During this time, Electric Aid have contributed to CBM programmes in Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon and Kenya. The Employment Bureau is part of the greater Association for the Physically Disabled of Kenya (APDK) programme in Kenya, with whom CBM has been a partner for more than two decades.