MARIANNE CENTER FOUNDATION

People with mental disabilities in Kenya (approximately 2.9 million) face special challenges in their lives. Many Kenyans still associate people who have mental disabilities with witchcraft, and little has been done to combat this stigmatization. Most people with mental disability have a mild to moderate mental retardation. However, they can learn and are capable of developing skills throughout their lives. They have a wide range of talents, which can possibly be discovered at any moment in their childhood. The major shortcomings of the current educational system for (young) adults with mental disabilities is that they are too old to be enrolled in a primary school, but mentally incapable of attending a normal secondary school. Because of that, the Marianne Centre Foundation, started in the year 2010, focuses on people with mild to moderate mental disabilities, varying from Down Syndrome to Autism, from the age of 16 to 35 years. The training centre for this group has given them and their parents hope for a better future. Currently, the centre has 38 students. The students are divided into classes according to their abilities. The (young) adults are trained in basic life skills, vocational and income generating activities. At the end of the training, their capabilities are assessed and efforts are made for them to be attached to an employer where they get the possibility to perform basic tasks. The idea of this project is to make a difference in the life of young adults with special needs and disabilities, by making them self-reliant and by easing their integration into mainstream life without fear of stigmatization.