Christine Miloyo / Akili Dada 2017

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with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often see things from a different perspective, have low comprehension and are often withdrawn and not social.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

Collective Responsibility

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

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

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

On a Lighter Note


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.

Fellows For Social Change

Accounts of illustrious young African Women Leaders transforming African Communities

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Akili Dada

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A leadership incubator empowering the next generation of African women leaders.

Fellows For Social Change

Accounts of illustrious young African Women Leaders transforming African Communities

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