Some 50 children living with disability in Migori county have gotten relief after the devolved unit donated assistive devices worth Sh1.5 million.

The Sh1.5 million assistive devices include paediatric wheelchairs and clutches.

Lilian Okomo, Director of Gender, Inclusivity, Culture and Social Services, said the assistive devices would go a long way in helping the children living with disability achieve their basic rights, including education, through mobility.

“Many children are suffering behind the doors because they are hidden at home,” Ms Okomo said.

According to the director, the wheelchairs are formed in a special way that can be adjusted to the kind of disability that the child has.

“They are not just wheelchairs, but are special wheelchairs that are formed in a way that suits the disability of the child. If the child cannot sit, it is fixed in a way that he or she can sit comfortably in it,” Okomo highlighted.

The department procured 50 wheelchairs and 50 crutches.

“This is after we realized that it is a need in this county. The research we did showed that the adults have had wheelchairs from different partners over the years, but for children, it has been a problem,” Okomo stated.

She said procuring more wheelchairs would help bridge the gap after they received more than 100 applications for the assistive devices.

The county government’s move to donate assistive devices to children living with disability came after it realised that those children were left behind and occasionally, not supported adequately to enable them to enjoy their basic rights such as education and medical services.

A number of the children were kept from school with a section of parents blaming a lack of assistive devices to aid mobility.

Parents whose children benefited from the devices showed gratitude, saying that they could not afford to buy them on their own since they are very expensive.

Nancy Akoth, a single mother, said that she had sought help in getting a wheelchair for her son, who is unable to walk or stand, in vain.

Akoth, who only depends on menial jobs to feed her family, says managing her son, who has never walked since birth, has been challenging.

“I am so happy that we have been given what we have been longing for. His mobility was hindered because of a lack of a wheelchair,” Akoth said.

Jacinta Akinyi said his son’s disability was a result of a disease that struck him when he was 11 years old.

“My child was not disabled when I gave birth to him. He is unable to walk or control the call of nature,” Akinyi said.