27 Feb Healthcare and Wellness Practices in Our Homes
At Children of Hope, our mission has always been to provide our children with a nurturing home and provide care that meets the individual needs of each child. The all-encompassing care they receive in our homes allows them to grow in every area of their lives and equips them for their future independence.
We’re so thankful to God for the unwavering support from our community and extended family, the love and warmth that exists amongst our homes, and above all, the health and well-being of our children. With the dedicated love and care of our aunties and uncles and your support, we are able to provide our children with specialized care and treatments to help them reach their full potential.
Healthcare in our Homes
In our Kikuyu and Kitalale homes, we take primary healthcare very seriously. Taking part in daily hygiene practices, providing well-balanced and nutritious meals, and implementing mandatory immunizations help ensure the health and well-being needs of all our children are met.
When our children join our homes, they get a full medical check-up, along with scheduled follow-ups. If we identify that a child needs more specialized care, we make it a point to find an established doctor in the specialized field to provide additional care as needed.
Today, we’re going to highlight three of our children in our Kikuyu home who continue to receive specialized care and treatment, and are overcoming challenges to make great strides in their lives.
A Deeper Look into Our Kikuyu Home
Isaac Kimani
Isaac, 17, joined our Kikuyu home as a baby in 2005 and was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at 2 years old after our aunties started noticing Isaac wasn’t hitting important developmental milestones like walking or sitting upright.
With continued physical therapy and several surgeries, Isaac has made significant progress, going from sitting upright to standing and eventually learning how to use a walker. This was a major development for Isaac, being able to use a walker gave him independent mobility around the home, going to the toilet on his own, and mobility at school. Although he still relies on a walker, he continues with specialized therapies and we pray and hope for continued advancement in his mobility.
Isaac’s journey has been arduous, yet a progress-filled one. He has shown remarkable resilience and determination in overcoming the challenges of his condition, has learned to communicate effectively, perform basic life skills, and become more aware of his surroundings.
Uncle Moses has formed a very close bond with Isaac and acts as a father figure to him. He is readily available to help Isaac with showering and washing clothes, and is dedicated to teaching him these important life skills. Additionally, Uncle Wilson, our driver, takes the opportunity to mentor Isaac in many areas of life and sees it as a fulfilling role. He accompanies Isaac to his treatments and physical therapy sessions and is always delighted by Isaac’s progress.
“I am very happy to have the opportunity to mentor Isaac in so many areas of life. It gives me joy to see him make those small wins. My family has been so blessed to have him over for Christmas breaks. I also get a chance to accompany him during treatments and for physical therapy sessions; it is a fulfilling role and I am so grateful for it,” said Uncle Wilson.
Vivian Njoki
Vivian, now 12, joined our Kikuyu home in 2013. She came with a global developmental delay caused by meningitis as a baby; affecting her spinal cord and brain leading to speech, memory, coordination, and significant learning difficulties.
We immediately took her for a complete medical assessment and started Vivian in speech and physical therapy. With the support and love from our Kikuyu family, she is continuing to reach developmental milestones and is a happy, smiling young girl who brings joy to those around her. Physical therapy played a crucial role in Vivian’s development, and she continues to work toward improvement. Today, she can communicate well and loves to help the aunties with cleaning, but her favorite moments are those spent playing with the babies and helping to care for them.
Vivian is especially close to Auntie Damaris and Auntie Irene; they have a special bond with Vivian that has been built through being involved with her therapies and working with her to learn life skills. Overall, Vivian’s progress is a testament to the love, care, and support she has received from her family at Children of Hope.
“Vivian’s journey has not been easy, but the gains she has made are truly rewarding. When she joined our home, she could not even sit on her own, and her muscles were weak. Today, she is walking, talking, and thriving. I am grateful for the opportunity to parent her and pray that she achieves her full potential as she grows,” says auntie Damaris.
Daniel Njenga
Daniel Njenga, 16, joined our Kikuyu home in 2006 at the age of one month. As he began to grow and develop, the aunties began to notice that he was not reaching the normal milestones. Upon this discovery, he was taken for assessment. Diagnosed with intellectual disabilities and developmental delays, Daniel has been undergoing therapy and learning how to cope with everyday life ever since. With the support of the Njeri Maria foundation, Daniel attends speech and learning therapy every Thursday at Thirime PCEA Primary school which he attends.
Over the years, Daniel has made great progress in his journey and has learned important life skills, like doing laundry and gardening. He has developed a special bond with Uncle Wilson, Uncle Moses, Uncle Solomon, Uncle Mobet, and Uncle Eric, all of whom he enjoys spending time with. One of Daniel’s favorite activities is basketball and he can always be found shooting baskets on the court when he gets home from a day at school.
As Moses, the housefather, testifies, “Daniel is dependable, takes on tasks positively, and has a strong bond with Isaac. We are happy to see him take life skills training positively and we hope he will continue to thrive.”
As the children continue to grow and thrive, our special needs teacher, Mercy, comes 3 days a week to support Daniel, Isaac, and Vivian with their learning needs in our home. She helps identify gaps, recommends measures to their teachers, and also reinforces whatever they learn at school. We brought Mercy in to not only support the children but also to be a mentor to our staff with how better to help the children.
We’re so proud of our children for continuing to overcome their challenges and can’t wait to see them continue to shine.