Kupenda for the Children
Encyclopedia
Kupenda for the Children is a Christian
-based non-profit organization
exists to meet the needs of children with disabilities, primarily in Kenya
. Formed in 2003 due to discrimination of children with disabilities in Kenya
. Kupenda is based in Hampton, New Hampshire
and has a resident school and special needs facilities in Malindi District
, Kenya.
) was formed to ultimately reach its goal so that children will feel that they are loved and accepted. For the children meets its mission through one-on-one sponsorship for payment of school fees and formation of child-sponsor relationships, construction of special needs facilities, funding medical intervention, provision of school supplies and medical equipment, creating awareness in the community, strengthening of local churches to better assist special needs children and staffing qualified help for the children in need. Their disabilities include cerebral palsy
, deafness, deformed or missing limbs
, spinal bifida, effects of polio, visual impairment, Down syndrome
, autism
, epilepsy
, and other physical
and mental disabilities.
developed a documentary film, Adventures for the Cure: The Doc, narrated by 3-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond
, which chronicled a 6,500-mile trek across the United States on fixed-gear, single speed bicycles
by Adam Driscoll, Pat Blair, Jesse Stump and their support crew. In addition to AFC's focus on diabetes awareness, the bicycle trek and the documentary features the co-founders fundraising efforts in Kenya with Kupenda.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
-based non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
exists to meet the needs of children with disabilities, primarily in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. Formed in 2003 due to discrimination of children with disabilities in Kenya
Human rights in Kenya
Human rights in Kenya are far better than in most of Africa, though political freedom is still curtailed.-Kenyatta :During the first post-independence presidency of Kenya, under President Jomo Kenyatta, state security forces harassed dissidents and were suspected of complicity in several murders of...
. Kupenda is based in Hampton, New Hampshire
Hampton, New Hampshire
Hampton is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 14,976 at the 2010 census. Located beside the Atlantic Ocean, Hampton is home to Hampton Beach, a summer tourist destination....
and has a resident school and special needs facilities in Malindi District
Malindi District
Malindi District is an administrative district in the Coast Province of Kenya. Its capital is the coastal town of Malindi. The district has a population of 544,303 . Malindi Town is increasingly becoming known as Kenya’s version of "Little Italy"...
, Kenya.
History and mission
Kupenda ("to love" in SwahiliSwahili language
Swahili or Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken by various ethnic groups that inhabit several large stretches of the Mozambique Channel coastline from northern Kenya to northern Mozambique, including the Comoro Islands. It is also spoken by ethnic minority groups in Somalia...
) was formed to ultimately reach its goal so that children will feel that they are loved and accepted. For the children meets its mission through one-on-one sponsorship for payment of school fees and formation of child-sponsor relationships, construction of special needs facilities, funding medical intervention, provision of school supplies and medical equipment, creating awareness in the community, strengthening of local churches to better assist special needs children and staffing qualified help for the children in need. Their disabilities include cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement....
, deafness, deformed or missing limbs
Congenital disorder
A congenital disorder, or congenital disease, is a condition existing at birth and often before birth, or that develops during the first month of life , regardless of causation...
, spinal bifida, effects of polio, visual impairment, Down syndrome
Down syndrome
Down syndrome, or Down's syndrome, trisomy 21, is a chromosomal condition caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. It is named after John Langdon Down, the British physician who described the syndrome in 1866. The condition was clinically described earlier in the 19th...
, autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
, epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
, and other physical
Physical disability
A physical disability is any impairment which limits the physical function of one or more limbs or fine or gross motor ability. Other physical disabilities include impairments which limit other facets of daily living, such as respiratory disorders and epilepsy....
and mental disabilities.
Documentary film
In 2006, Adventures for the CureAdventures for the Cure
Adventures For The Cure is a non-profit organization and USA Cycling club that exists to raise awareness for diabetes and other selected charities...
developed a documentary film, Adventures for the Cure: The Doc, narrated by 3-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond
Greg LeMond
Gregory James LeMond is a former professional road bicycle racer from the United States and a three-time winner of the Tour de France. He was born in Lakewood, California and raised in Reno, Nevada....
, which chronicled a 6,500-mile trek across the United States on fixed-gear, single speed bicycles
Fixed-gear bicycle
A fixed-gear bicycle is a bicycle that has no freewheel, meaning it cannot coast, as the pedals are always in motion when the bicycle is moving....
by Adam Driscoll, Pat Blair, Jesse Stump and their support crew. In addition to AFC's focus on diabetes awareness, the bicycle trek and the documentary features the co-founders fundraising efforts in Kenya with Kupenda.