OUr work > CARE Programs > Child Health
Wezesha Watoto Children’s Neurodevelopment Clinic
Caring for Children with Disabilities
Childhood disability affects millions of children around the world. In Kenya, the prevalence of childhood disability in children 3-21 years is 13.1%. Children with disabilities require additional support and therapies to reach their developmental potential. Early intervention is critical to optimizing neurodevelopmental trajectories.
Obstacles for Children with Disabilities in western Kenya
Children with neurodevelopmental disorders can experience difficulties with language, speech, motor skills, behavior, memory, learning, or other neurological functions. Families can be unaware that they can get help or that care options exist.
The wait list is long for children and families to be seen by healthcare workers at the outpatient pediatric neurology clinic in western Kenya. It is open just one day a week because the limited number of healthcare workers are overburdened with service at hospitals. Diagnosis and treatment for children can be difficult. Too few healthcare workers have specialized training to provide the best care.
Dr. Eren Oyungu, pediatrician at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, describes the current care options and barriers to care for children in Kenya living with disabilities.
Breaking down barriers and building a better future for children
AMPATH partners are building a foundation for care for children with disabilities by:
Building a new children’s neurological clinic in Eldoret
Upskilling healthcare workers through training
Developing programs to serve the needs of children and their families
The Wezesha Watoto Children’s Neurodevelopment Clinic will:
Provide advanced medical and rehabilitation facilities to children suffering with various neurodevelopmental disabilities
Provide high-quality neurodevelopmental evaluation and therapy to serve children and their families
Provide training and resources to boost the skills of healthcare workers, teachers, clinical providers, caregivers and families supporting children with disabilities
Help train rehabilitation specialists, social workers and parents/caregivers to become well-informed advocates to advance care of children.
Increase treatment by providing additional clinical space and staffing to transition from being a weekly clinic to a daily clinic to meet the needs of children with disabilities.
The Wezesha Watoto Children’s Neurodevelopment Clinic will be operated and managed by Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in partnership with the Government of Kenya. MTRH was established more than 100 years ago and currently provides specialized referral health services to 22 of the 47 county governments in Kenya, approximately 24 million people.
The clinic builds upon AMPATH’s robust research on children with disabilities.
