The formation of ANDY was part of effort to bridge the existing gap between the mainstream disability organizations and issues related to beneficiaries especially the younger generation, as there was no effort being made towards their holistic empowerment.

 

ANDY has focused its work at grass root levels with a pilot phase in Kibera slums and expansion plans to cover all the regions in Kenya.

 

ANDY offers a variety of programmes:

 

o    Job Placement and Livelihood Project

 

AbleChildAfrica is supporting ANDY to develop programmes in each of its six priority areas.

 

Although the Kenyan Disability Act (2003) states that employers should not discriminate against disabled people, in reality young disabled people find it very difficult to obtain employment.

 

The Livelihoods Programme aims to provide support and skills for 60 young disabled people who have completed their education and are looking for employment. ANDY provides training in business skills and IT and assistance with job applications.

 

ANDY is also developing a pilot project with employers, each of which supports a young disabled person on a work placement. The aim of this is to illustrate to employers the benefits of employing young disabled people who can be an asset to any business.

 

These examples will be used by ANDY to launch a wider campaign to employers to seek attitude change which we hope, in the long run, will mean that more disabled people are able to find employment.

 

To find out more about ANDY's amazing work please click here

Advocacy and child rights: Support local partners to lobby locally and nationally on child rights. 
 

Education: Equip teachers with skills to educate young disabled people, refurbish classrooms to make them accessible and provide resources for learning.

 

Health: Train professionals in skills such as mental health care and ENT, provide rehabilitative surgery and make sure that facilities are available as close to children as possible. 

Social Participation: Work to reduce stigmatisation of young disabled people and increase awareness of their needs among the public and policy makers. 

Families: Establish support groups for families and help them to be positive and effective advocates for their children. 

Employment Opportunities and Livelihoods: Refurbish and manage vocational training centres, improving the chances of young disabled people in the job market. 

Sexual Health Issues: Support parents in communicating sexual health messages and we produce materials in a variety of formats to raise awareness about sexual health among young disabled people.

 

By 2012 AbleChildAfrica seek to be an established point of contact for those working with young disabled people in Africa, providing resources and support to local partner organisations and a wide range of information and learning opportunities to ensure that young disabled people can be involved in development in Africa.

 

 

To find out more about AbleChildAfrica's amazing work please click here