Joy in learning

Joytown School in Thika, Kenya, has some 700 students who are living with a range of disabilities, but offers a full curriculum for pupils as well as specialised support and resources that the young people need for independent living.

Seventeen-year-old pupil Josfridah says she felt settled after only a few months. ‘I’ve learnt a lot. It’s fun, with many activities, and students are really taken care of,’ she says.

Josfridah lives with spina bifida and has experienced the significant stigma that can be associated with disability in Kenyan society, but staff at Joytown are experienced in helping students understand more about their disabilities. ‘Life is still difficult,’ Josfridah explains. ‘Since I was young, I had difficulty accepting myself. I was bullied. People used to treat me as an odd one out because I was different from them.’

Enrolling at the school has improved her life. ‘Before I came to Joytown, I thought of myself as a burden,’ Josfridah says. ‘But when I came here, I saw kids in wheelchairs who are happy because they are being helped when they can’t walk or need support to go to the washroom.’

Josfridah decided she wanted to benefit from such support. ‘I engaged myself in different activities,’ she says. ‘I tried to associate with people and be “me”. I want to be a person who can show the world that being disabled doesn’t mean that you can’t do things or that you’re a nobody.’

One part of school life has been particularly beneficial for Josfridah. ‘When I was young, I loved music, but I couldn’t sing in front of people because I was afraid to be judged,’ she recalls. ‘But when I came here, I gave it a try because it’s where I become free. The way the notes flow, the mix of highness and lowness of pitches is beautiful. I love music so much.’

Now that Josfridah has discovered a new confidence and has the opportunity to study, she has great hopes and dreams for the future. ‘I want to become a doctor – a neurosurgeon,’ she says. ‘For me to achieve that, I have to work hard and read a lot. Joytown has helped me open a new chapter where I can at last write my story in a new and positive way.’