The Therapy project is one of the most important projects at Stichting Why Not Kenya? This program has been ongoing for 14 years now. It focuses on children as young as 6 months and above with various special needs such as cerebral palsy, delayed milestones, and minor injuries. The program is carried out by occupational therapists from reputable learning institutions in Kenya.

Many children who require physiotherapy services are ranked as level five by hospitals. This service level is not provided for free by the government facilities. Thus not all children are being diagnosed, and one must pay transport cost to get travel to the medical facilities. Therefore the parents are compelled to look for these services locally to save money, which is where we come in.

Stichting Why Not Kenya? is the best location, since we provide the services without charging for it. Our office is in the same neighborhood as where most of these children live. So less travel costs less for those that must travel to our facility. The majority that live nearby just walk a short distance to reach here.

Every Tuesday since the organization's founding in 2010, parents are invited to bring their children for physiotherapy services.

Approximately forty children are being sponsored by us to receive this essential services. The organization hired two occupational therapists with the aid of well-wishers to provide care to any child that is brought to us, without any pre-conditions. Other than the physiotherapy services, the organization also provides:

1. Diapers are given after therapy to encourage the parents to continuing the treatment
2. Guidance and counseling services are provided to the parents to empower them
3. Regular training is provided to the parents accompanied with information and skills necessary to better care for their children
4. Provide them with assistive devices or put them in touch with our affiliated organizations so they can get assistive devices at no cost.
5. Provide the parents with food packages whenever possible to boost their dietary needs.

Every good thing has its ups and downs.
Due to a shortage of room, all the children must squeeze into our little office to receive physiotherapy services. Thanks to the Stichting Why Not Kenya? physiotherapy services, the following results were achieved:

1. Physiotherapy services have enhanced the quality of life for certain children, by improving their capacity to do everyday tasks and gain mobility
2. Parents have accepted and appreciated their children for who they are
3. After significant changes and empowerment, some children are now able to attend school
4. Connecting with other parents and sharing experiences has boosted  their self-esteem.

You are welcome to donate to the organization, to facilitate:

1. The ability to hire an occupational therapist(s) on a permanent basis to guarantee that these services can be rendered daily rather than just once a week
2. The ability to provide assistive devices for the children whenever they need them rather than only when the organization can.
3. The ability to provide the children with comfortable diapers to wear, as most of them can't be potty trained. Some of them require them for the rest of their lives due to the severity of their disabilities.
4. The ability to plan regular training sessions in order to provide these children the best care possible.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

In 2023, Stichting Why Not Kenya and the Dutch board of advisors selected a group of children who had either completed their training or had reached the maximum age of participating in the program.

After extensive discussions with the children and their parents, the idea of providing them with financial support to fund their desired business was formed. This meant that the children would join the Enable Transition project to begin their business journey.

One of our founders, who was moved by the idea, connected us to the Wilden Ganzen Foundation. This foundation is based in the Netherlands. It provides financial assistance to philanthropic organizations throughout the world that want to make a good difference in their communities.

We promptly collaborated and devised an enticing proposal to acquire the funding. In addition to the proposal, we were given a list of standards to meet to boost our chances of receiving funds. Our board performed a key part in completing the most crucial condition, which was to raise ⅔ part of the funds so that we could qualify for ⅓ part of the funds from the Wilden Ganzen Foundation. After meeting all the requirements, we finally received the joyful news for which we had spent many restless days waiting.

We are pleased to report that 20 childrend have begun to benefit from the funding provided by the Wilde Ganzen foundation by:

1. Participating in training  on business skills
2. Accessing funds to establish or grow their existing businesses
3. Regular visits by our staff to follow up, get updates and advice where needed to ensure profitability & continuity of the businesses

The organization hopes that with this project:

1. Stakeholders can participate in gainful employment
2. Reintegrate back into their communities with respect
3. Improve their living conditions and achieve independence

We look forward to sharing more beautiful stories about the childrens' individual journeys toward independence.

Since the implementation of the epilepsy program in 2011, Why Not Foundation has grown significantly. It now provides daily epileptic medication for more than 34 children. This is in order to get the condition under control. This is due to the cooperation of the Why Not Foundation and Doctor Muema Mwambu Musyoka, who has a clinic in the Kisauni area in the province of Mombasa. He is a pediatrician and specializes in the management of epilepsy.  

Through his help, Why Not Foundation has been organizing an epilepsy clinic once a month for over 8 years, where all parents meet once a month and receive support by: 

• Regular health education sessions on common diseases associated with epilepsy
• One-on-one counseling sessions to better understand their children's condition;
• Collecting the appropriate monthly epilepsy medication;
• Free additional personal explanation/information in case of poor health of their (grand)child;

The story of Dama Kahindi we would like to highlight in particular this time.  

Dama is a young lady of 22 years old and has to deal with both epilepsy and a mental handicap. She completed elementary school in Utange last year. She is a cool, active and ambitious lady.  

She comes from a large family of 8 children and the whole family depends on their elderly mother for their daily needs. Her father died in 2013 after a short illness. She has a twin sister whose name is Bendera, which means flag in Swahili, which she loves! 

Dama was one of the first girls to join the epilepsy project in 2011. By now, Dama no longer needs to be accompanied by her mother because she can express herself and communicate with the doctor about her progress. She likes to ask questions when the doctor in the epilepsy clinic gives health education, because she wants to understand her condition better. She is very punctual and always the first person to arrive at the office when Why Not Foundation is providing an epilepsy clinic. 

Last year, Dama completed her elementary education with 164 out of 500 points. The score was below average, which prevented her from enrolling in a high school. After several good conversations and explanations with Dama and her mother about the challenges she may face in high school, they both agreed to enroll in Sacred Heart Tailoring College. 

Matilda (field manager of Why Not Foundation) took Dama to the tailoring school run by Catholic nuns. When they arrived there, Matilda told the nun about Dama's condition and surprisingly, the nun reacted anxiously to this news and asked for more time to think and pray about the issue. "It is by the grace of God" that the nun called Matilda and said she was open to educating Dama. 

As of March 2019, she is attending this school and she is showing some progress. She can thread and run the machine. Her teacher says Dama works hard and is ready to learn. She asks questions when she doesn't understand and if she continues with this mindset, she is able to learn enough skills to work independently and become a good tailor in the long run.  

This will ensure that she can generate her own income and be self-sufficient in society!