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Project Liaison: Rob Tovey, Bethphage, U.K.
Launched in October 2007, the aim of the Community of Excellence program is to promote community-based options for graduates of the school in Kisumu, North-West Kenya including:
employment
- in-home support and improved access to healthcare
- an integrated approach to schools through the training of teaching assistants
- public advocacy
- establishment of the Diakonia Compassionate Ministry (DCM) as the focal point for disability work in the Nyanza region.
DCM is a non-governmental organization (NGO) established by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Kenya to undertake a range of community projects, including: widows, orphans, HIV/AIDS and the disability program.
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In a very short time, the program:
supports 21 graduates in the community, all of whom have some kind of paid employment
- integrated 30 children with disabilities into mainstream schools
- lobbied local and regional government to raise awareness of disability issues.
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Philosophy of working with people with disabilities
- Values that underpin our work
- Person-centered planning
- Ethical practice
- Protection of vulnerable people
- Health & Safety
- Supervision
- Strategic Planning
The training has been led by Bethphage Great Britain, but has also involved two other IMPACT partners -- Mosaic and Bethesda Lutheran Homes and Services, both from the USA.
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