Orione community training Centre Kaburugi (OCTC), is a charitable institution for children and youths living with syndromes and mental conditions based in Kaburugi, Kenya. The Centre was founded in 2005 to cater for about 40 families who had children and youths that were developmentally disabled around Kaburugi Catholic church. The Centre takes care of children and youths with intellectual disabilities like, autism, cerebral palsy, mental challenge, down syndrome, Microcephalus, Hydrocephalus etc. A sister branch was opened in Kajiado county in 2013. OCTC supports approximately 47 children and youths with special needs.
1. a) Physical rehabilitation –Students with walking disabilities, spasticity and delayed developmental milestones (like sitting) undergo therapy sessions. A number children have managed to walk through these service. b) Occupational therapy –Lacking eye and motor coordination, most of our students are unable to perform common activities of daily living: dressing, toileting, and feeding. Our Centre provide them with this therapy to help them acquire and develop the necessary skills. c) Sensory stimulation – Students especially those with conditions like Autism are hyperactive and have a short concentration span. These students attend sensory integration sessions in our dark room outfitted with special materials like changing colours, toys, music, and touch stimulation objects. These elements help them to calm down and improves their concentration and memory retention.
2.a) Special educational program with Individualized educational plan (IEP) – to meet the students’ needs based on the student’s development rather than predetermined expectations based on grade level in a non-restrictive environment.
b) Feeding program – Provision of two meals per day, that is breakfast and lunch to each of our students. Those who suffer or are at risk of malnourishment are given an additional peanut butter supplement.
c) Transportation We facilitate the school attendance of our special students by offering bus service that collects them at various stops in the morning and drops them off in the afternoon. Our bus covers a distance of 64km daily in picking and dropping our students due to their developmental deficits or conditions (like cerebral palsy) that prevent them from commuting to our Centre.
We have a farm of 2.5 acres where we train and empower our students on horticultural farming. The training program starts when they are 16 years old and continues for 2 years. Once they are 18 years of age, we evaluate their ability to perform farming tasks and if they are able, we employ them to work as farmers in our farm for 2 years. We prepare job contracts for them and open bank accounts into which 70% of their salary is paid for savings during the employment period. The simple act of student-workers having individual bank accounts in their name with the Centre as a custodian not
only empowers the students-workers, with the important life skill of managing money, but also helps to change the perception on developmentally challenged persons often seen as a burden and by the society.
Our roles as advocates for the developmentally disabled were immensely aided by a visit of the First Lady of Kenya, Margret Kenyatta on 23rd October 2013. The event received extensive coverage by the local media and helped to publicize the work we do. On 17th March 2022, the Centre had a gain the privilege to host the Deputy President of Kenya His excellency Dr. William Samoei Ruto. Such famous personalities rekindle the hope that our work is making impact to our society where traditional beliefs have been a major hindrance in assisting those with conditions and syndromes. In 2016 our Centre was also invited to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities held in Geneva Switzerland.