Kupenda for the children

06/08/2026

Season 2 of Unlikely Gifts is here! 🎙️

On Unlikely Gifts, Kupenda's podcast, you'll hear from our co-founders Leonard Mbonani and Cynthia Bauer as they reflect on how their experiences working alongside families impacted by disabilities in Africa have revealed both life's greatest gifts and its deepest challenges.

In the first episode of Season 2, host Frank Boswell sits down with Leonard and Cynthia to explore the extraordinary friendship at the heart of Kupenda's work.

Together, they share how a shared vision, cultural differences, personal struggles, and faith have shaped a partnership built on trust, resilience, and a commitment to transforming disability stigma into dignity, belonging, and hope.

Tune in to hear the story behind the movement and the friendship that helped make it possible.

Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Amazon Music.

06/05/2026

Hear what SIL Global, one of Kupenda's partners, had to say about Kupenda's Disability Guidebook, a collection of short summaries covering some of the most common disabilities in low-income countries:

"We translated it into Amharic, one of the major languages spoken in Ethiopia, and used it to train teacher supervisors in rural Ethiopia from three other language communities. Then, I asked the supervisors to translate it from Amharic into their mother tongue languages.

One of the challenges was that we don't have the right labels for some disabilities. For example, something like spina bifida does not have an Amharic word, so we had to explain it using a phrase.

But because it was picture-based, it was very helpful. Much of the information was communicated through illustrations, especially in showing the symptoms and the assistance that the community can give. That made it a very helpful resource for the teacher supervisors to use."

Check out the resource here: https://kupenda.org/resources/disability-guidebook/

06/04/2026

Creating safe environments for children starts with knowledge and action.

Last month, our team facilitated an abuse prevention training, strengthening local leaders' understanding of child safeguarding, recognizing signs of abuse, and responding appropriately when concerns arise.

Every child deserves to grow up safe, valued, and protected.

06/03/2026

Last week, Kupenda brought disability inclusion training to the Kenya Forest Research Institute's (KEFRI) Gede Office, where more than 30 staff members participated in a conversation about building more inclusive communities and workplaces.

Trainings like these help equip staff with the knowledge and awareness to better include, support, and engage people with disabilities in their work and daily interactions, creating more welcoming and accessible spaces for all.

06/02/2026

Therapy services for children with disabilities in coastal Kenya are disappearing just when families need them most.

Foreign aid cuts are forcing clinics to reduce services, lay off staff, or close. Kupenda is responding by opening a new occupational therapy room in Kilifi County this September.

With the right equipment, this room will allow us to serve three times as many children each week and help parents learn practical ways to support their children at home.

Please help us equip this life-changing space!

Give here:

06/01/2026

We are so thankful for the support and encouragement of The Rock Church in Scarborough, Maine! Their children’s ministry recently created a beautiful new wall display helping kids learn about Kupenda’s work and the value and dignity of ALL people, including children with disabilities.

A portion of their children’s church offerings also supports Kupenda’s programs in Kenya, helping young people put compassion and inclusion into action.

Want to help kids learn about inclusion, kindness, and the importance of valuing every person? We’d love to connect with other churches interested in helping the next generation become advocates for disability inclusion around the world. Contact us at [email protected] to learn more!

05/29/2026

05/29/2026

At Marafa Special School, parents, teachers, stakeholders, and disability advocates came together to celebrate the incredible dedication of parents raising children with disabilities.

Together, we celebrated the parents and caregivers whose resilience, advocacy, and unwavering support are helping create brighter futures for their children and stronger, more inclusive communities for all.

05/27/2026

Children with disabilities experience disproportionately high rates of abuse and exploitation, making prevention, protection, and community education critical. Studies show that children with disabilities are more than three times more likely to experience abuse than their peers.

That’s why Kupenda regularly facilitates abuse prevention trainings for local leaders in Kenya, equipping communities to better recognize, prevent, and respond to abuse against children with disabilities.

Through awareness, advocacy, and training, we can help build communities where children with disabilities are seen, included, and safeguarded.

05/26/2026

Over the past five years, our partnership with Cross International has strengthened and expanded our life-saving disability initiatives in Kenya and beyond.

These include:
• Inclusive livelihoods trainings and small business microloans
• Disability advocacy trainings for local leaders
• Youth inclusion and anti-bullying workshops
• Safe feeding and nutrition trainings for caregivers
• Training of Trainers models that are expanding local leadership

We’re grateful for this partnership and shared commitment to ensuring every child is valued, included, and loved!

Read more: https://kupenda.org/cross-international-partnership-equips-kupenda-to-refine-and-expand-life-saving-disability-programs/

Over the past five years, Cross International has become one of Kupenda’s most important partners in changing harmful beliefs about disability and expanding access to life-saving care, inclusion, and opportunity for thousands of children and families in and beyond Kenya. In the early years of our ...