ANDY celebrates UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities

We have placed our programmes to give young disabled people control of their own lives under the spotlight this week in the build-up to today’s United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

ANDY held a stall at the national launch of the week’s events, hosted by the National Council for Persons With Disabilities (NCPWD) at its office compound in Westlands, Nairobi.

We were honoured to join people with a range of disabilities, and other organisations working to help empower them, on a procession down Waiyaki Way from the NCPWD to the DC office. We were ably accompanied by the traffic police band, so we certainly got noticed and hope the waiting traffic and passers-by got the message!



The procession down Wayaiki Way 



We held a stall at the event, where we were able to discuss the range of programmes we run by and for young people with disabilites to a range of distinguished guests, beneficiaries, partners and old friends.

Hon Khalfan Barwani is a shining example that disability and differences are not a barrier to success. The MP continues to pursue his dream despite admitting that he fears for his life due to the prejudice which leads some to hunt and kill Albinos in his country.

Our own Executive Director has also been inspiring others this week, joining a group of other disabled young people from across the continent to climb Mt Kilimanjaro.

The climb, organised by ANDY’s major partners, the UK-based charity Able Child Africa,, aims to challenge perceptions of what young people with disabilites can achieve, and to raise money for ANDY’s life-changing work. Regular readers will know that Fredrick did the climb despite losing the use of both his legs to polio as a child. For more information click here.

An exhausted Fred taking a rest during the climb

Its been a great week for celebrating our successes with Able Child Africa. Trustee Judy Oder has visited our offices, and her colleagues will be coming to meet ANDY’s staff and some of the beneficiaries of our partnership tomorrow (Saturday 4 December).

ANDY can reflect on some great successes in the past 12 months, including securing funding for a very important national human rights and advocacy programme which will gather momentum in the new year.

We need to do everything we can to help the estimated 520,000 young Kenyans with disabilities to overcome the additional challenges they face to access services and climb out of poverty. Stigmatisation, limited education opportunities, inadequate access to economic opportunities and the labour market mean 80% of Kenyans with disabilities live in informal settlements at the edge of cities or under very poor conditions in rural areas.

Over the next year ANDY will continue to work with the government, donors and most importantly young people with disabilities to continue developing programmes will help Kenya’s young disabled people to show their talents, achieve economic independence, challenge discrimination, have a voice in the decision-making process and to lead healthier, active lives.