Community Outreach and The Big Plan

August 26, 2015

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead

Like every other morning, I would take my malaria pill (one medication of several along with vaccines I had to take in order to visit Kenya) before heading out for the day. However, on this morning I sat, for quite some time, surrounded by my mosquito net contemplating the type of plan I would develop with the information I gathered from the director of Kaizora. I considered the lack of resources and supports (government included) and how the staff of Kaizora was already spread so thin.

Today I would visit a few local businesses to see what was available in the community, bearing in mind all that the director and I spoke about previously. I remembered the director saying she would like to start with the basics of building rapport with local employers and fostering a connection with a business who is well known in the community whom she has worked with in the past.

For these two reasons, I decided to visit Kazuri (meaning "small and beautiful" in kiShawhili). This was a business I had heard of many times during my stay in Kenya. It was founded to provide competitive employment to single mothers who had limited resources and faced social barriers. From the time it was founded, it seemed to have a positive impact on the community and offered great opportunity to the woman of Nairobi.

Brief tour of Kazuri:
As I approached Kazuri, I could see that it was a community of artists. All the buildings and studios vibrant in color (red walls, yellow signs, and purple chairs) filled with people creating beautiful and unique works of art. What they were known for most was their art made of clay. My tour of the facility began with the production site. A tall lean man wearing a long white coat (resembling that of a doctor) walked me to an area with two very large steel machines; next to them was a two story tall mound of dark wet clay. He explained to me that this wet clay would then be placed in the machines in order to dry it out and remove any air. Once the clay has gone through this process, it is then collected by the artists to create pottery and jewelry; each having a separate studio. Depending on the interest of the individual, they would be able work with raw clay, painting/glazing, firing with the kilns, and/or sales.

From the processing area we walked over to the studios. Each studio regardless of what was being produced was large (warehouse-like), filled with long tables covered in clay being turned into beads, tall shelves stacked with pottery, the perimeter lined with hot kilns, and several busy artists working diligently. As I was weaving in and out of tables and kilns and colorful art, occasionally an artist would look up and greet me with "Jambo" followed by a beautiful smile. One artist I spoke with had been working for Kazuri since 1972 and she was still "so happy to be working there".

Following the tour I was able to speak with someone about the organization in a bit more depth. I wanted more information because I viewed this facility, though beautiful and beneficial to the community, as a type of sheltered workshop - something that certain groups of people in America are advocating to have shut down because they are viewed as limiting independence and personal growth.

Kazuri has 300 employees of which around five have a disability; I was told: "one deaf person, one person with mental issues, one blind person and two with physical problems, and there may be others, but it is unknown." The company provides on the job training, all employees are full-time and paid hourly at a competitive wage (I am unsure of what a competitive wage is, but from what I have read, in this area minimum wage is equivalent to 1-2 USD per hour). When I asked more specifically about working with people with disabilities, the representative told me they supported an integrated setting that is opened to the public and they were open-minded about accommodation and modifications to the work environment ("though they had never worked with anyone in a wheelchair"). I also asked them about supports for their workers who needed it, and they explained to me that they had worked with "people who would come in to help the person if they could not help the worker" (which I interpreted as a job coach).

After several hours at Kazuri, it was time to head back to the centre. When I arrived, I began formulating a plan for Kaizura:

Step 1: Increase the number of board members by at least two people. Currently the director I meet with is the only person on the board for Kaizora (along with being the clinical director, manager, and the only BCBA in Kenya). This will increase supports and connections with the community and allow for more funding opportunities.

Step 2: Register with the National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD).

• To do this we would need to identify the type of organization Kaizora best represents and provide evidence as proof (there are five types identified by the NCPWD)
• Once this has been determined we would be able to complete the registration form, which we would then need to hand-deliver (while the form does state it can be mailed, the clinical director informed me that it was unlikely to get to the right person/office unless it was hand-delivered)

Step 3: Apply for capacity expansion grants. Through my research, I was able to identify two appropriate grants through the NCPWD

• Economic Empowerment grant (EE) - can be used to start up business activities for established groups working with PWD (e.g., employment services)
  • There are few requirements for this grant and Kaizora meets all of them
  • Usually a 3-6 month processing period
• Infrastructure grant - can only be used for existing organizations to enable maintenance and growth (i.e., EE can be used for start-up and Infrastructure can be used to sustain)
  • The requirements are similar to the EE grant
  • No identified timeline for processing

Step 4: As per the discussion in our planning meeting, formulate a one page letter to local businesses, agencies, potential partnerships (e.g., Nairobi Academy Prep), and for future events expressing the following:

• Mission of Kaizora
• Disparities
• Supporting partnerships
• Strengths of PWD
•  Importance of equity and inclusion

Step 5: Identify potential training opportunities for staff members (who are interested in providing transition supports) in the area of assessments for skills development, job coaching, job developing, and leadership skills

Even though I felt as if I was just beginning to understand the system and resources in Kenya, I felt optimistic about the plan for Kaizora. In just a few days time, I had been smacked in the face with the reality of working with persons with disabilities in an under-resourced country, and I began to see that we had our work cut out for us. However, I was eager and excited to present the plan to the clinical director at Kaizora. Given all of the amazing things she had already accomplished, I felt positive about the path that was unfolding before us.