Kenya Society for the Mentally handicapped

Mental disability not only affects the individuals but it has devastating effect on the family and the community as well. A child with mental disability means that the family is tied down to looking after the child twenty-four hours a day all the year around. This takes its toll on the family. The family, besides trying to come to terms with the child, also faces high degree of stigma from the community. Another problem is that as the child gets older and the community learns about the mental disability, the community members often take advantage of that child. The child is used and abused in the most horrific ways possible.

Kenya Society for the Mentally Handicapped having realized this, has programmes that deal with the parents, families and communities of the mentally disabled. The following are the areas that you can partner with KSMH to help parents, families and communities cope with persons with mental disabilities.

• Promote and provide for innovative identification of persons living with intellectual disabilities including those hidden and/or abandoned in families, communities etc.
  
  
• Provide support services such as counselling, training and education for affected mothers, caregivers and families in promoting acceptance, understanding and quality management of individual special needs of their persons with intellectual disabilities.
  
  
• Provision of monthly nutritional food packages to hunger stricken families with a person with an intellectual disability and special diets for persons with severe and profound intellectual disabilities.
  
  
• Income Generating Initiatives and programmes in support of mothers and caregivers of persons with intellectual disabilities.