Salama Charities provides sponsorship and support for selected students in schools and universities across Kenya.
Here are stories from some of the students who have received or are currently receiving support.
MSc in Special Needs Supervision and Management at Kenyatta University, Nairobi.
Abdallah is Head Teacher and a Special Needs Teacher at Wiyoni Primary School.
I thank Salama Charities for sponsoring me throughout my degree program in Special Needs education with a focus on visual impairment. I am from a poor family and am the only child in my family to be educated. My degree will help me and, through me, my whole community, in supporting children with special needs. Education is vital; children with disabilities also have a right to education. Very few people understand children with disabilities. This also includes teachers who have not undergone education in Special Needs. I have been given a chance to address this very serious challenge.
BSc in Education at Kenyatta University.
Currently working as a teacher.
I thank – and will live to thank – Salama Charities for sponsoring my BSc. I graduated in 2011 and am a teacher at Canon Njumbi Mixed Secondary School in Kerugoya.
I got married in 2014 and we are blessed with twin girls. I am helping my husband pursue his degree in Conflict and Peace Studies at the University of Nairobi. I also helped my brother during his university studies. I am committed to helping the poor in my community.
I sincerely thank Salama Charities for offering me the opportunities that have made me who I am today. As I write, my husband is with me and he says that he too lacks words to express his gratitude. May God bless you in all your endeavours.
Abdi Barisso – Abdi is intellectually impaired. He is studying at Chogoria Academy, Meru.
Aisha Halake – Studying at Maua Girls Secondary School, Maua.
Her ambition is to qualify as a Special Needs Teacher.
Kibarani School for the Deaf, Kilifi – sponsered 7 students with Hearing Impairment.
Lucy Nakeno – Pursuing a degree in Special Needs Education at Moi University, Eldoret.
Maryam Swaley – Graduated with Master of Education – Educational Planning from Mt. Kenya University.
BSc 1st Class Honours in Industrial Chemistry from the University of Nairobi. MSc in Nuclear Science from University of Nairobi.
Presently pursuing a PHD in Nuclear Science at University of Nairobi.
Salama Charities has assisted me with school fees since 2004. I completed a four-year program at the University of Nairobi and graduated with first class honours. I received a scholarship from the same University to undertake a Masters degree in Nuclear Science and Salama helped me with my living expenses. During the Masters degree course I was chosen by the Agrifood Research Finland in the town of Jokioinen to do research on soil micronutrients.
Apart from pursuing a PhD in Nuclear Science at the University of Nairobi, I am also a Sessional Assistant Lecturer at the Technical University of Nairobi and a Research Fellow at the University of Nairobi, Institute of Nuclear Science & Technology.
Salama Charities has been like a family to me. I wish there was a word, a way with which I could express my gratitude. My experience has taught me to look at those less fortunate than myself and to be thankful for my blessings. My hope is to help others who, like me, can build a better life, if they receive a helping hand.
Diploma in Biomedical Engineering at Kenya Medical Training College.
In employment with Asterisk Ltd., Nairobi, Kenya.
My education journey has been long, with ups and downs but with the help of Salama Charities I have been able to complete my studies.
I come from a single parent family. My sister, Emily, has Cerebral Palsy. It has been an enormous challenge for my mother as she is unemployed. She gets a very small income from keeping a few chickens and selling eggs to the community around her.
With the help of Salama, my sister Emily, has set up a little business of her own. This has given her a small income for her basic needs and a sense of independence.
As I am now working I can now help to support my mother and look after my younger sister’s education. My sincere thanks to Salama Charities for their contribution towards my success. God bless you for the great work you are doing to ensure that people like me are not lost.
Metrin Shisia – Studying at Holy Cross Emalindi Girls Secondary School.
Her aim is to qualify as a Special Needs Teacher.
Oloolua Centre for Special Needs, Nairobi – Salama sponsored three teachers from the school to obtain certification in Special Needs Education.
Zam Zam Ano – Currently studying Community Health & HIV/AIDS Management at Mt Kenya University.
BSc in Mathematics & Computer Science at Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
Presently pursuing an MSc International Heritate Visualization at the University of Glasgow on a scholarship.
Salama Charities sponsored my undergraduate education at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. Without this support I would not have been able to continue my studies. I am truly thankful to Salama Charities for making it possible to pursue them without fear.
In 2016 I received the Google Anita Borg Scholarship for Women in Technology awarded annually to women in universities from all over the world who have demonstrated outstanding ability and work in the compluter science field. I am preparing my Masters in International Heritage Visualization at the University of Glasgow and Glasgow School of Art where I was also awarded the Governor’s Postgraduate scholarship.
Salama Charities believed in me and gave me the opportunity to pursue my dream. I have come to believe that with hard work nothing is impossible. I continue to work hard so that in future I may be able to offer such an opportunity to someone else.
Ali lives in Lamu, Kenya.
At the age of 18 he sustained injuries to his spine and is now confined to his bed.
Salama Charities sponsored his secondary school education and then set him with a computer, a printer and scanner to enable him to earn a modest sum of money scanning and printing documents.
Salama has also helped him set up a small business buying and selling fruit. He now employs a young man who has a speech and hearing impairment to set up a stall and sell his fruit.
Nariman Samir - Graduated from United States Internaitonal University, Kenya Major: Bachelor of Arts in International Relations Concentration: Peace and Conflict Studies Minor: Integrated studies in Psychology and Criminal Justice.
Tom Mboya School for Children with Cerebral Palsy, Mombasa - Salama pays school fees for 11 students
Salim Kongoi – Studying for a Diploma in Bio-Medical laboratory Sciences. Salim’s twin brother has Cerebral Palsy.
If you are disabled, have a family member who is disabled or want to pursue a degree in Special Needs Education, please fill out our Scholarship Application Form
The Tom Mboya School for Children with Cerebral Palsy was previously inadequate, old, and needed extensive repairs. The school originally had one large room divided into two classrooms for 50 children, including some with severe disabilities.
Salama raised funds to build:
Salama helped raise funds to purchase a 28-seater school bus for the Tom Mboya School for Children with Cerebral Palsy.
Special thanks to:
The middle school students of The International School of Brussels, Belgium.
Renovation of the school play area and an outside kitchen at the Tom Mboya School for Children with Cerebral Palsy in Mombasa, Kenya.
Special thanks to:
The middle school students of The International School of Brussels, Belgium.
Play area
Outside kitchen
Play area
Derelict and in desperate need of refurbishment and repair, the Lamu School benefitted from Salama Charities’ donation which covered the cost of:
Special thanks to:
Henri Mills and his team
Tom Mboya School for Children with Cerebral Palsy in Mombasa, Kenya received funds raised by Salama to purchase a second 28-seater school bus.
A Physiotherapy Unit was constructed
Special thanks to:
Sheikh Muhideen who raised funds participating in the Virgin London Marathon Wheelchair race.
Special thanks to:
The middle school students of The International School of Brussels, for raising funds to complete internal finishes.
The COVID-19 pandemic led to the shutdown of schools and therapy services, leaving vulnerable students with intellectual disabilities, their parents, and caregivers without specialised assistance.
Salama identified the need for a dedicated Training Centre for parents, caregivers, and teachers alongside re-developing the existing Acorn Special School.
The Training Centre: Working together, the Acorn School and Salama Charities identified the need to build a training facility where parents, caregivers and teachers can be trained and equipped with skills to work with their children with disabilities at school and/or home. Phase 1 of the build is nearly complete - see our progress here.
The School: The new buildings will replace the existing Acorn Special Needs School, established in 1999. The school has established itself as a recognised stakeholder in matters pertaining to disability issues and has an open admissions policy: all students are welcome regardless of their economic status; parents pay according to their financial ability.
Salama also continued to raise funds to support vulnerable students over this challenging period and raise funds for the new and existing facilities.
Support our work: We invite you to make a donation here.
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