Felister Wanja was one of our favorite stories of 2022. Felister joined our program in 2019 when she was just two years old. Even at the age of two, Felister suffered from severe developmental delays. When she joined us, she struggled with sitting upright and nutritional concerns such as rickets and low calcium levels. We also noticed she had limitations in motor skills, feeding, bathroom use, and communication skills. Four years later, we celebrate Felister as now she can walk, feed herself, and make meaningful relationships around her as her communication skills improve. On the day she first walked without support, everyone came together to celebrate her. Her mother and our staff members were all overjoyed at how far she had come. There is still a long way to go, including working on her fine motor skills, but we know our Felister is up to the challenge.
The Ubuntu Life Foundation 5k Walk/Run
December 3rd marks the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. We celebrated at Ubuntu Life by hosting our annual 5k walk/run.
The day started bright and early when we all met at the Children's Wellness Center (CWC), where we were led in stretches by Dennis, our Nutritionist. The atmosphere was incredible, with everyone ready to run and spend the day together. We ran around the back of the Ubuntu Life Campus land and the surrounding areas. The time of the run varied from person to person, with some finishing in 20 min and others a little bit longer. We were greeted at the finish line by Brenda, our Head of School, encouraging people over the microphone and handing out water to the tired participants.
After the participants finished the race, we thanked them for all the support they had given us throughout the year. We congratulated the winners with gifts for each age group, and we are proud to say Kamau, one of our very own students, was the winner for the under 15s age group. The day concluded when we headed to the cafe to eat some amazing Nyama Choma.
Meet Mary W.
This month we celebrate Mary Wangare, a 10-year-old girl who joined the Ubuntu Life Foundation in August. When Mary entered our school program, she was diagnosed with a hearing impairment. Due to her impairment, she had never attended school. As a result, she presented with a social skill deficit and communication gaps, both expressive and receptive. Her limited knowledge of learning activities due to never attending school affected her self-esteem.
After joining the Ubuntu Life Foundation, we are proud to say that her story has changed. She can now express her needs, comprehend basic KSL (Kenya Sign Language) taught by her teacher, and has gained the confidence to interact with her peers during school.
In her first months of joining us, Mary has learned to sign numbers 1 to 20 without prompt, tell time in KSL, and improved her critical thinking, problem-solving and analytical skills. Her literacy skills have also greatly enhanced. Mary can now sign the alphabet and spell her name.
Mary's enthusiasm has also rubbed off on her classmates. Our students are starting to develop an interest in sign language, and many enjoy signing themselves. Her family members inform us they cannot believe the great strides she has taken. We cannot wait to see where Mary's story will take her. We are incredibly excited and confident she will continue to do amazing things.
Meet Mary
Mary is a 16-year-old girl in our school program with a learning disability and a delay in milestones. When Mary was first enrolled in our school, she went through our assessment process to evaluate her physical, learning, and nutrition needs.
Upon her nutrition assessment, Mary was severely underweight, coming in over three times below the average weight of her peers the same age. We also discovered that Mary's household was at high risk for food insecurity. Her household comprises five members, with her single mother being the sole provider and an income level well below the poverty line.
Mary's food insecurity was also easily noted at meal times when she would devour her food without breaks while staring at other students' plates.
On enrollment, Mary weighed 70 pounds (32.0 kg), roughly the average weight of a 10-year-old American girl. The Ubuntu Life Foundation school lunch program intervened by increasing her portion sizes at lunch since the frequency of her meals could not be factored in. Just a few short months later, Mary's weight has improved to 76.5 lbs (34.7 kg) and continues to climb. Mary can now enjoy her food to satisfaction without worrying the other students about their food.
Our school lunch program is also in the works of getting a commercial-grade blender to better enrich our student's diets with foods like locally made peanut butter paste. Once the blender is here, we will use the peanut butter paste to complement students' midmorning snacks, Mary's lunch meal, and ten other students in the school program who are severely underweight.
Ubuntu Life Foundation Partners with Local School
Ubuntu Life Foundation is always looking to partner with different organizations and community members. We partnered with Dave Amazing School to cover personal hygiene. Topics included: body hygiene, oral hygiene, the importance of hand washing, and the personal effects on hygiene, which included bed making, socks, underwear, and handkerchief hygiene. Covering these topics was extremely important, as good hygiene can be the start of a healthy life for the kids in our community.
Instead of doing lectures, we took a more interactive approach, emphasizing showing rather than telling. We also came with small gifts like dental floss to ensure the kids had fun and left with something they could use.
The day went exceptionally well, and it was very encouraging to see the children's attitude change. They were eager to apply what they had learned. We also received positive feedback from the teachers, who said the students would go home to discuss what they learned with their family and friends. With more than 100 kids learning about proper hygiene and the school being open to more engagement, we cannot wait to see where this program can take our community.
