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sub-county number of beneficiaries ability from 12 nomadic counties of Kenya to activities
Banisa 41 get full high school scholarships • Fencing, installation of water tank, construc-
Lafey 74 To advocate for inclusive living, homes, ser- tion of toilet and beautification at the Khalalio
Mandera East 103 vices and amenities for children with disability Social Hall
Mandera North 89 To promote peace and integration among no- • Supporting other stakeholders on sensitisa-
Mandera South 127 madic communities in Kenya tion against female genital mutilation
Mandera west 113 To promote sporting and cultural tourism • Supporting street and destitute children and
among the nomadic counties in Kenya persons addicted to substance abuse
The money is disbursed to the PWSDs through To establish a mentorship programme to nur-
Kenya Commercial Bank and its agents. ture the students on leadership Youth
Other projects implemented by the department Under Youth, the department achieved the fol-
for PWDs include: The target lowing:
Construction of special toilets (two pit latrines) In the 2017 Desert Wheel Race, NONDO was • Lobbied for youth employment – today, 80%
and an underground water tank for students targeting to raise funds to see 200 students of the county’s work force (1,498 as recruited
with special needs with disability through high school. Those who by the County Public Service Board) are in
Provision of accessories to blind students in do well in secondary school are considered for the youth bracket. A majority of them are ECD
schools - four braille machines, computer soft- university and college scholarship. teachers, health workers and enforcement of-
ware for the blind and scientific calculators for ficers
the blind • Provided training to over 400 youth in various
Capacity building, sensitisation and aware- Orphanage support programme skills
ness trainings for PWDs, including on peace Mandera County Government has an orphan- • Provided bursary funds that have been dis-
and community integration age support programme at the Mandera Islam- tributed to all needy youth across the county
Vocational training for PWD groups on income ic Centre, which supports orphans in Mandera • Provided support to various sporting activities
-generating activities East. This new programme will provide individ- such as distribution of uniforms and establish-
ual and institutional support to four orphanage ment of play grounds in various centres and
Marking of International Day for Persons centers within the county. schools
With Disabilities • Lobbied for 30% of county government con-
December 3 is the International Day for Per- Representatives from the four selected orphan- tracts to be reserved for the youth and other
sons With Disabilities. This day is marked age centres received a Sh4.6 million grant. The special groups
globally to highlight the plight and challenges selected orphanage centres are: • Empowered the youth with entrepreneurial
facing persons living with any form of disability • Al-Hidaya Orphanage Centre skills through trainings
and the effects it has on their lives. As a county, • Mandera Islamic Centre • Construction of community libraries in Man-
we showed our support and solidarity with the • Al-Fowzan Orphanage Centre dera South, Lafey and Rhamu to inculcate a
PWDs in Mandera. • Aluwaiys Orphanage Centre reading culture in the county. The libraries will
The event is always held at the Mandera Bus greatly benefit schools and those pursuing
Park and normally graced by County Execu- The programme initially involved relief food further studies.
tives from different ministries. PWDs in the distribution and disbursement of a small
county have been made aware that they can amount of money. But the initiative has since CASE STUDY SIDE BAR: SHUEB
get assistance devices from social services of- grown and cash disbursement significantly MOHAMED - AMPUTEE
fices in each sub-county. increased. The ministry, for instance, will this
financial year disburse Sh9.4 million. Fifty per n the hilly town of Malka Mari, we meet
The Desert Wheel Race cent of this amount has already been released. IShueb Mohamed, whose smile belies his
The Desert Wheel Race is an outstanding In the next financial year, the amount will be painful ordeals. For years, seven-year-old
NONDO patented annual flagship event that more than doubled to Sh20 million. With the Shueb, an amputee ECD pupil has been
draws hundreds of participants in wheelchairs extra amounts, the programme will now also struggling to walk using a stick as a support.
to compete. The race is organised by NONDO, cater for the cost of clothing and food for the This has negatively impacted on his walking
the first non-profit organisation to exclusively orphans, as well as payments for teachers, ad- style and changed his natural body posture.
advocate for the rights, inclusion and participa- ministrators and caregivers. Getting to school and undertaking other nor-
tion of PWDs from nomadic counties in Kenya mal errands has also been a very difficult
in all spheres of life. Our aim is to limit the support programme to task for him. But all these problems will be
these four major orphanages with the intention forgotten following an intervention by the
The Desert Wheel Race Edition of expanding their capacities, and hence reap- Mandera County Government’s Department
The event is held every year in a county chosen ing the benefits of their economies of scale. of Social Services.
by NONDO. In its sixth edition, last year’s event
was held on July 15 in Kajiado County. It drew This programme will employ qualified social “We first heard Shueb’s story about a week
participants from all the 47 counties. workers to closely monitor and offer profes- ago. Today we are here with a team from the
sional assistance to needy families by advis- Department of Social Services and an ortho-
The cause ing them on income-generating and livelihood paedic technologist to assess Shueb’s situ-
The primary objective of the Desert Wheel Race strategies. This aim will be to empower these ation and accord him the necessary medical
is to raise funds to support and amplify access families economically, which is a commitment support,” said Mr. Abdi Mohamed Ali, the
to education for nomadic children with disabil- the county has undertaken for the next five department’s Chief Officer.
ity from the participating counties. The race years.
creates awareness on the challenges faced by As a long-term intervention measure, the or-
these children, advocates for their inclusion in Gender and social service thopaedic technologist took measurements
the education system, as well as in other facets The following were accomplished under the of the amputated leg to prepare a prosthetic,
of life. By bringing diverse nomadic communi- gender and social service function: which will be ready in two weeks’ time. In the
ties together, the race also fosters peace and • Construction of six social halls meantime, the department provided Shueb
integration among these communities, who • Offering support for registration in the Older with crutches.
many times are involved in conflicts caused by Persons Cash Transfer (OP-CT) programme. The team left the boy all smiles as he awaits
cattle rustling and scarce pasture and water for This social welfare protection programme tar- the prosthetic leg that will surely make life for
their animals. Such conflicts not only affect dis- gets older persons above the age of 70 years. him much bearable.
proportionately persons with disability, but also • Launching of the National GBV hotline (1195) This intervention underscores the county
contribute to disability. The Desert Wheel Race to create awareness on gender-based vio- government’s commitment to support the
is the first of its kind in East Africa. lence in Mandera weak and vulnerable in society.
Objectives • Offering support to Mandera women with
To raise funds to support 120 children with dis- grants to finance or initiate income-generating