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It was started back in 1990, by an Irish Priest By the name Ref. Fr. Michael Smyth, who worked within the Loita Maasai communities. During his pastoral work, he discovered that many Children with Disabilities were neglected and left to suffer and die, this is because nobody thought about them as they were considered to be disabled as a result of witchcraft and family being cursed. Most of these children were hidden, and could never have the opportunities to Rehabilitation as well as the right to see what is happening in the outside world. Most of them had poor care, poor hygiene and had little or nothing to eat, thus suffered from lack of good health and medical attention beside their problems. This led to many of them suffering and even dying due to lack of treatment and care.
The Maasai tradition and cultural taboos, are very unfriendly to such persons, and this makes it more difficult for such children to survive. The families of these children are stigmatized, they are not allowed to mix, socialize or associate with the rest of the community members, they are regarded as having been cursed or witched, and as a result they have been punished, that is the reason why parents have children with disabilities. This is what makes them hide the children and living them to suffer and die without receiving any treatment or provided with the necessary care.
Beyond their attitude towards Disability, they never knew that there was anywhere that such children could receive any kind of Treatment or Rehabilitation therapy, or even know that they have chances to survive and lead a better life in the future, hence they did not know where to take them for Rehabilitation. Besides the Treatment being expensive and they could not afford, in any case they would not see any useful purpose to assist and rehabilitate a disabled person, they think they have no benefit to the family or society. They are regarded as not of any value, therefore, it’s a waste of time and resources to spend any finances in rehabilitating them.
Besides all, most children have been abandoned by their Biological fathers and left totally under the care of single women or grandparents to raise and care for them, on their own and always without success, as they have been rejected by their fathers.
The Maasai lifestyle has a lot of hardship conditions which do not favor persons with disabilities. The challenged Persons have to suffer very strongly in their lifetime, and do not have a social or happy life.
Namelok Naretoi Home for the Handicapped was begun as a result of Rehabilitating children and Persons with disabilities, to ensure that they are provided with Medical Rehabilitation, therapy and to correct their deformities and afterwards offer them chances in Education of their Nature. This makes them feel accepted and their rights being addressed.
This program was started in 1991. Franciska Mukinka who is a nurse by profession, went on a research survey to Identify children with disabilities in the Maasai community. Franciska was the ideal person because she was well known, she comes from the same community, she also speaks the language very well and she understands the culture better, and has the technical approach required by the Maasai people.
After the survey, she discovered that there were many children with Disabilities who had been hidden by their parents, and suffered quite a lot. This thus called for quick Rehabilitation attention. Many children needed Medical attention, special education and others social-economic attention. The best approach was through awareness creation and community mobilization. To change the attitude toward disability was the most important to start with. Most of these kids were from very poor families, since many of them were left by their fathers to single parents, as well as old grandmothers, who did not know or understand the management and care of these children; they did not have the means and ability of any kind of Rehabilitation, they were Ignorant of any treatment. From 1992 up to date, more than 160 children were assisted through different Rehabilitation process, and many have had successful treatments, while others have long term Rehabilitation process, and still going on with Treatment or physiotherapy. More new cases are being discovered and Identified all times and brought to our attention, not all are being helped / Assisted currently, due to donor financial crises. The main target of the program are children and youngsters with disabilities from very poor families, and of (0-25 ) years of age, after 25 years, the program phases them out, even though they have not achieved the target, as per the Program policy.
Director Namelok Naretoi
Franciska Mukinka