My name is Stella Onyango (low vision disability) from Kibera.
Below is my story on the impact Gifted Community Centre -GCC has made in my life. In 2019, courtesy of GCC,
I joined St. Charles Lwanga a vocational institute where I enrolled in fashion design.
The programme took one year. GCCs assessment exercise helped me choose the right course which I pursued till the end.
What made you choose fashion design?
There were two main driving factors that made me chose this path.
My late dad was a fashion designer; I grew up in a set up seeing the sewing machines.
This gave me a great inspiration and my interest to develop the skills and knowledge required in the fashion
and design industry.
Life at St. Charles Lwanga happened to be great.
They offered quite a wide variety of technical courses. Their main aim was to transfer knowledge and skills to us.
I became really fascinated and hoped to give the course my absolute best throughout the year.
They also offered traditional courses beside the main courses such as entrepreneurship, life skills,
and communication and computer application packages.
How can persons with disabilities manage their mental health during this COVID Season?
Gifted community center has been in the forefront sharing tips, food items as well as other
care packages to persons with disabilities during this hard season. We have also been
sharing information online based on the World Health Organization and the Ministry of
Health sources. So far, we have reached over 100 persons with disabilities in Kibera.
So why this article?
The Government of Kenya through Health Cabinet Secretary CS Mutahi Kagwe continues to
emphasize on quarantine, self-isolation, and working from home as some of the ways to stop
the spread of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
And while this effort is for the public good — and one of the best ways to “flatten the curve”
of the virus proliferation — navigating the new normal won’t be easy especially if you are
used to outdoors. For persons with disabilities, it is becoming difficult as most of them work
hand to mouth and need to be out there.
To support persons with disabilities during this season in terms of their mental health, below
are some of the tips we have wrapped up for you:
