Meet Christine: Using Art for Mental Health Awareness
Learn about the root of Christine’s passion for advocacy for the rights of Autistic Kenyan children

My name is Christine Miloyo Ombima from Embakasi in Nairobi, Kenya. My project is aims to promote mental health wellness in young Autistic children of the ages 3 years to 5 years. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often see things from a different perspective, have low comprehension and are often withdrawn and not social.
Art for Social Change
It is for this reason that my project ‘Grooving with Autism’ serves the purpose of connecting with these young ones in their tiny little world. This can be achieved by making life interesting to them by using music, art and sports to teach them daily living skills, communication skills as well as social skills.
Collective Responsibility
On the other hand, my initiative involves engaging their parents, their main caregivers, in the day-to-day lessons of their children’s growth and development. Furthermore, we use the arts and culture as an income generating tool through teaching the parents hands-on skills. This helps to generate income for their family and cater for the needs of their child.
The ripple effect of the project is that it seeks to unite the community in helping raising this child through collective responsibility. The overall goal of the project is to document a sustainable and inclusive curriculum.
“…engaging their parents, their main caregivers, in the day-to-day lessons of their children’s growth and development.”
My Motivation
My motivation to start this project started in 2006 after I had graduated from high school. I was available to engage full-time in the children’s ministry as a Sunday School teacher. It was at this time that they had introduced the option of parents with special needs to bring their child in for the service so that they are integrated in the regular Sunday School classes.
On this day, I was busy running up and down. I didn’t even notice that we had a special child in our midst! In the midst of all these activities, the young girl undressed and put her clothes inside the toilet bowl. She climbed down the stairs to go get her mum in church. An instinct just told me to check around and see if all the children were in class and that no one was playing outside.
That is when I spotted a young girl without clothes in a hurry to get into the sanctuary. Adrenaline rush made me run so swift that I didn’t know how I took that baby in my arms and took her into a room. We tried talking to her, but she was not responding. We decided to act fast. We dressed her in an oversized pullover that someone had left behind. Our main worry was how we would communicate to her mum about this incident.
When church was over, we met with her mum and narrated the whole incident to her. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. It was then that I learnt that this child had low functioning autism. Indeed I was very sentimental, and empathized with what this mum goes through each day raising such a child. From then on, I gained a lot of interest in handling children with special needs. I dedicate my gifts and abilities to encourage their parents to be strong while raising these wonderful children.
A Passionate Conviction
I heard about the program from a friend of mine who shared with me the link on Facebook. My motivation to apply for the fellowship program was heightened after I attended an event dubbed ‘Turning Lemons into Lemonade’. Akili Dada’s Executive Director Purity Kagwiria was among the panellists. She talked very passionately about the fellowship program. This made even me more eager to become part of it.
The theme of the talk related very much with what I have been through as an individual with a mental health condition. It opened up my eyes to the broader picture that the Akili Dada fellowship program can be a stepping stone to helping me learn to manage my organization and ensuring my personal growth due to my mental condition (Bipolar Disorder). If I could change anything in this world, I would do my best to reduce inequalities and discrimination on Persons With Disabilities.
SDGs
The Grooving with Autism project is addressing SDG 3 — Good Health and SDG 4- Quality Education for special needs children. The ultimate goal of Grooving with Autism is to create awareness on Autism and how to manage children with this disorder. It also seeks to reduce the stigma associated with parents having children with this mental illness. I hope that my project helps to demystify the myths that children with this condition are misfits and a taboo in the society.
On a Lighter Note
Since I was young, my family and friends describe me as selfless. During my personal time, I enjoy taking time to listen to music and dance. The endorphins from the movement help me cheer up. If I could travel anywhere in this world, and not worry about resources, I would love to visit the United Kingdom. I have always dreamed of meeting with the Executive Directors of international NGOs based in London so that I can help them support raise and mobilize resources for needy special needs children in Kenya.
Fellows For Social Change is a primer series of African Women Leaders in the 2017 Akili Dada Fellowship. Visit Akili Dada’s blog for more eloquent reflective stories from young African Women leaders.

