We met Sian Mulwa in August, 2013 at her home in Kajiado. Fifteen years old and blind since birth, she had never been to school. She also had undiagnosed epilepsy. A neighbor of her family took us to meet her and her parents. Sian’s father was not at home. Her mother told us that he didn’t believe that she was able to learn and wasn’t interested in talking to us. Sian was charming and said that she wanted to learn to use computers and her mother encouraged us to see what we could do.
FKSW covered the costs of an assessment at Kikuyu Eye Hosptial where doctors agreed that Sian could benefit from attending school. In May of 2013, Sian was enrolled at Thika School for the Blind. Since then, with her seizures under control, she has been learning not only Braille, but also Engllish and Kiswahili to complement her Maasai mother tongue. She has progressed from nursery school level studies to third grade and is doing well in her classes. She laughs easily and was quick to respond to our questions. She hasn't learned to use a computer yet, and it’s still at the top of her list.
Part of our broader effort
This year, FKSW distributed 105 scholarships to primary school students (grades 1-8), 38 boarding scholarships for primary school and 25 scholarships for secondary school. Two students with disabilities also received scholarships.