The year was 1985 and Patrick Jawabu – then a cattle minder and contract labourer – had visited his friend in his home in Uasin Gishu. The visit was going well until Patrick stood on a raised hill at his friend’s place and spied something concerning in the neighbour’s plot. What he saw changed the course of his life forever.  

The compound had a home and a makeshift umbrella made of a tree behind it. A rope ran from the tree to the leg of a child who was sparsely clothed and shuffling around the umbrella. In horror, Patrick ventured over to the home to find out more about the child from the parents. He discovered that the child was living with a disability and had limited motion in their legs as well as one arm. Worse still, they were not being given food or water. Patrick was devastated by the neglect and pained by the child’s loneliness.  

 

Going Against the Grain 

His superpower was his empathy – an attribute he derived from his strong Christian faith. Patrick put himself in the shoes of the child and concluded that he would want to be assisted if that were him. Even then, he had a strong sense of justice and equality. Overwrought with emotion, he decided to take the care of the child upon himself. This was only the beginning of his journey to returning dignity to abandoned children with disabilities. 

Upon a closer look at his community in Uasin Gishu, it became clear that children living with disabilities were at times seen as curses and cast out of their homes. The stigma was so poisonous that it broke apart entire families. Patrick saw mothers blamed for bearing children with disabilities, and in turn, some focused their attention on their children without disabilities. Their children living with disabilities were locked away from the sun’s warm gaze never to be seen or heard. In Patrick’s eyes, this was nothing short of torture and he knew he had to take action to rescue these children.  

 

Building a Home 

In the 90s, he took it upon himself to travel to Kijabe and Kikuyu for training on disability care. He worked as a volunteer and built his skills in caregiving. 

Even with the training, Patrick needed a compound for the children’s safekeeping. At the time, he had but a small plot with a little house on it. His home was perfect for a bachelor but unsuitable for the scores of children he had witnessed in his community. He subsequently acquired another parcel of land in Cheptiret. 

 

The Growth of Jawabu 

With a compound in tow, Jawabu Rehabilitation Centre was born – a result of Patrick’s great capacity for love and heart for humanity. In 1996, he turned his eyes to disabled children in his own Nandi community. When children were shunned from other homes or their own families, they would find refuge here. He primarily cared for children with cerebral palsy. He made certain the children he took in could access the physiotherapy they needed, were well fed with a balanced diet and grew in self-confidence.  

Over the next two decades, he persevered through a range of challenges. These included taking his children on public transport for hospital visits where they were often stigmatised and even braving the threat of Covid to his often-immunocompromised children. His pride and joy are seeing his children smile, interact with each other and carve out their own lives through school. 

Over the years, Patrick’s noble mission has earned him several benefactors. Their contributions put together with his enduring efforts have built a safe home at Jawabu that supports the children’s mental, physical and emotional health.  

Patrick – now a father of over 100 children – is resolved as ever to ensure their dignity and wellbeing. Their pain is his pain, and their joy is his joy. He spends each day keeping a watchful eye over his children and their activities – endeavouring to lift them ever higher. For this, we are honoured to call him one of our #PaukwaPeople.