• By Aurillia Manjella
• Posted 08/30/2018

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Disability Is Not Inability: Growing Indigenous Vegetables at Mundika Special School for the Deaf

Mundika Special School for the Deaf is a primary school in Western Kenya with more than 100 students, both girls and boys, with different disabilities. As I pass by during my daily routine, and I am greeted by the waving students. One day on the way back from work, I was struck by a student sitting in her wheelchair, waving happily to me over the fence. Although I couldn’t understand the sign language, from the smile on her face I knew she meant well.

I was touched and before I knew it, I found myself entering the school compound with William, my colleague. In that unplanned visit, we were introduced to the principal, staff, and the school at large.  That day that I made a new friend, Nakayo, the cute young lady who always wears that million dollar smile. It was an emotional and exciting moment for me. I couldn’t picture such a place to be so rich in love, kindness and life despite the struggle the students endure. At that moment I felt so emotional to the point that my eyes hid tears and I felt my curiosity rising, everything behind these beautiful smiles mattered and I wanted to know the reason why.

The sun rose over Mundika Special School while we sat under a tree with the principal, a father figure for many of the students. I couldn’t stop firing questions: how had he managed to make all this possible? As he explained, it was far from a walk in the park. Making these children feel that school was their safe haven come along with its own hardship. Sadly, most parents do not cherish their children and it is well known that with our social norms, children with disabilities get segregated or even abandoned. Some parents leave their children at school without paying anything, hence making it hard for the principal to provide for the school. Having enough vegetables to eat was a major problem, especially during the dry season. We resolved to help, as part of the BFN Project (Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition), and built the school’s capacity for sustainable agriculture, with special attention to the importance of local vegetables.

Our sustainable agriculture training was smoothly implemented thanks to the hardworking and talented students. They were so quick to learn that before we knew it, the garden was well prepared and seeds were planted. Within a month the first vegetables were harvested and sent to the kitchen. Local nutritious vegetables such as cowpea leaves, amaranth, and African nightshade were cooked and served to the students at no extra cost. The agriculture students have continued with their gardening project and now can comfortably feed the entire school, day in and day out. During holidays they sell their vegetables and use the profits to buy seeds and other materials. To them, rather than feeling idle at home, this useful skill helps them earn money for their basic needs and gain independence. A smile can change the world, in the same way that Nakayo’s smile brought me into Mundika Special School for the Deaf. Now the students produce nutritious local food, a healthy community, and even more smiles.