Electine Wanyama – Creating a Home for Children Living with Disabilities
From as far back as 2009, Electine Wanyama had heard a still, small voice nudging her to pursue caregiving. This seed was planted in her while working at a home for children living with disabilities in South Korea where she observed that such children needed dedicated care in a world that overlooked them often than not. After two years of service to the children, Electine returned to Nairobi only to encounter stark unemployment that forced her to do all sorts of menial jobs to sustain her life. With no funds to actualise her dream and needing to focus her energy on survival, she held off on the idea of becoming a caregiver.
When she gave birth to her babygirl, Precious, Electine found even more reason to push caregiving to the back seat as she dedicated all her time to raising her. Unfortunately, she lost her daughter in 2015. As if grief wasn’t enough to break her, life weighed in heavily on her and she was unable to even make ends meet. Dejected and alone, Electine packed her belongings and relocated to her rural home in Kakamega. While she did not have the material advantage to rekindle her life at the countryside, one thing was clear for her: she would pour herself to care for children especially those living with disabilities regardless of what it took.
Establishing Precious Virginia Home
When she arrived at Kakamega, she dove right into finding a place to set up her home. She benchmarked and visited several homes and schools for children living with disabilities, which led her to one owner of an abandoned building. Electine cared not for the fact that the building was in disrepair, she had fixed her mind on a mission and was unstoppable in its pursuit.
To her relief, the owner of the abandoned building allowed her to use the property, and she began the taxing task of transforming the battered space into a habitable haven. Tapping into the spirit of harambee – the longstanding Kenyan philosophy of pooling together and community self-help – Electine sought help from her community to renovate the building.
Triumphantly, in 2016, Precious Virginia Children’s Home, named after Electine’s departed daughter came to be as a care centre for children living with cerebral palsy and hydrocephalus.
A few years into her caregiving service, Electine felt the need to also welcome and cater to the needs of other persons living with severe disabilities regardless of their age. For that she renamed the home Precious Virginia Home.
As of 2023, 53 persons call Precious Virginia home. Those who live at the home are called residents while the rest who stay with their families but are still under Electine’s care are known as home-based care individuals.
Observing Important Days for Persons Living with Disabilities
Electine unites these two sets on awareness months for different disabilities. So, every year in March, they come together to observe Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month. They also meet on International Cerebral Palsy Day on the 6th of October and World Disability Day in December.
On these pivotal days, they do not just gather to mark them as indicated on the calendar. Electine ensures they receive counselling besides fine dining and much merriment with friends. Additionally, she recognises that majority of the home-based care individuals hail from humble backgrounds, so she provides a few essentials in-kind, like toiletries and food to their parents and guardians for use at home.
For Electine, this is more than just volunteering. Hers is a story of unwavering faith, and a compassionate heart dedicated to service worn on the sleeve for all who are touched by her hand to find love, comfort, and experience the gift of family.
#KeVolunteers
