kenya special needs center
When you invest in this school, you aren’t just funding a building—you’re answering God’s call to be His hands and feet, ensuring that every child, regardless of ability, can learn, grow, and thrive in His love.
global lane report
Every child is fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s image, yet around the world, children with special needs often remain invisible, overlooked, and denied the opportunity to develop their God-given potential. In the Mathare Valley of Kenya, we have the chance to change this story by creating a space where these children are not defined by their disabilities but celebrated for their unique abilities.
The Challenge
Nearly 500 children with physical and developmental needs in the Mathare Valley lack access to appropriate educational opportunities. These children, with conditions ranging from autism to multiple sclerosis, remain largely unseen and underserved.
The Vision: A multi-story Special Needs School in Bobndogo Mathare Valley that provides
- Specialized learning environments tailored to different abilities
- Trained teachers equipped to nurture each child’s potential
- Accessible facilities that accommodate physical limitations
- Faith-based education that affirms every child’s value in God’s eyes
- Support services for families navigating the challenges of raising children with special needs
When you invest in this school, you aren’t just funding a building—you’re answering God’s call to be His hands and feet, ensuring that every child, regardless of ability, can learn, grow, and thrive in His love.
Kenya Special Needs Center Will Achieve Three Vital Goals
- Affirming God-Given Dignity
The Bible teaches us that every person is made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) and has inherent worth. Yet, children with disabilities often face rejection, stigma, and isolation. This special needs center will serve as a powerful declaration that these children are not mistakes or burdens but bearers of God’s image with unique gifts to share with the world. - Breaking Cycles of Marginalization
In many communities, families hide children with disabilities out of shame or lack of resources. By creating a dedicated educational space, we help transform cultural perceptions and give families permission to embrace their children with hope rather than fear. When we uplift these children, we build a society that better reflects God’s kingdom—one where every individual is valued and included. - Unleashing Compassion
By supporting this school, we follow Jesus’ example of caring for the vulnerable (Matthew 25:40) and ensure that these children receive the education and love they deserve. Specialized learning tools and accessible facilities allow these children to develop their potential, while an education rooted in faith equips them with the assurance that they are cherished by God and their community.
“The MOHI Special Needs Center will be incredibly impactful for the Kenyan community in the Mathare Valley. Children with moderate and severe disabilities who have never had the chance to go to school, get medical treatment and support for their disabilities, and effective interventions to improve their quality of life will be loved and cared for the first time in their lives!”
Pictured Wallace Kamau (left) his wife Mary (center) and Arty VanGeloof (right) at the ground breaking at Kenya Special Needs Center.
Missions of Hope International (MOHI)
Mary and Wallace Kamau began humbly serving the children in Mathare Valley, an area in Nairobi, Kenya, where close to a million people are compressed together in a mile-wide by a three-mile-long stretch on the outskirts of the capital. People there live in small shanties with no running water, bathrooms, or electricity. They face the constant threat of danger and violence. Twenty years ago, this young Kenyan couple saw the need in this Nairobi community for a safe place for children to grow. They started a preschool with fifty children meeting in a rented garage in the heart of one of the poorest communities in the world.
Those fifty children quickly grew in number when Eastside began a partnership with MOHI and, along with other churches across the country, started sponsoring children to attend a MOHI school. The once-small ministry is now serving almost 30,000 children in 38 primary schools across the country. MOHI students are served two meals every day, and receive Christian education, school uniforms, social services, and medical care that blesses the children and their families.
In serving these 30,000 children, social workers and leaders identified nearly 500 children whose physical and/or cognitive disabilities require special education services. To address this need, MOHI has identified BobnDogo as a central location for a multi-story Special Needs Center focusing on these oft-underserved children.
Watch this short video below from Arty VanGeloof to see the groundbreaking at the Special Needs Center.
