Saturday 21st November 2009 marked two important events in the history of Vision Africa. The first was the official opening of the Percy Davies School for children with special needs – designed, constructed and supported by Vision Africa. The second event was that this was the last official function for our founders Rev. and Mrs. Packard in their roles as Field Directors. The day proved to be a fitting tribute to both these occasions.
A cavalcade of motorcycles, followed by traditional dancers provided a grand start to the day. In attendance along with Rev. and Mrs. Packard was VA Field Director Deborah Kimathi, the local MP Hon. Elias Mbao, VA Administrator John Kiboro and representatives of the local education department, councils and school management committee. There was also a large crowd from the local community including the nearby primary school which provided some of the entertainment.
Most important of all, the students and staff of Percy Davies School were there to welcome their guests and show what great progress has been made since the school opened in May 2008. There are now around 50 students boarding at the school. Some of these are children with physical disabilities who have never had the opportunity to attend school before because their disability prevented them from travelling to school each day or because it was thought that they could not be educated. One or two of the students who enrolled in May 2008 have actually progressed to the local primary school as it is in the same location as the Percy Davies School so by providing accommodation in the vicinity, we are able to assist them in accessing primary education.
One example of this is a boy who became the star of the opening day. Having been born with only stumps for his arms and one leg (for which he has a prosthesis), he had not attended school until he was offered a place at Percy Davies School last year. After proving that he was able to write and colour in holding a pencil between his stumps, he progressed to Kambiti Primary School and has been performing well. In addition to this, this remarkable boy competed in sports events for children with special needs and was hailed as a hero of the school.
In just over one year, the lives of a number of children have been transformed by the great work of the dedicated teaching staff at the school. As was stated by Rev. and Mrs. Packard and Hon. Elias Mbao, this should not be seen as a privilege to these children but as a basic right. All three speakers emphasised the fact that disabled children have the same rights as any other child including the rights to play, to be happy and to be educated. This important message went out to the local community and was enforced by the representative of the local education department who said that they are aware that many disabled children in Kenya are still being hidden away. What was encouraging was that she also said that there is a long list of potential students for Percy Davies School so the attitude of some parents is changing. Unfortunately, due to our limited resources, we are unable to take on any more children at present.
After the speeches and entertainment, including two songs by the children of Percy Davies School, there was the cutting of cakes and presentation of gifts to Rev. and Mrs. Packard. Hon. Elias Mbao unveiled a plaque to mark the official opening of the school and Mrs. Packard then cut the ribbon on a seating area which has been erected to acknowledge the donation made in the name of Percy Davies which allowed the construction of the school to take place.
Tributes were made to the great work that The Packards have done since they set up Vision Africa back in 2001. VA administrator John Kiboro has worked alongside them for a number of years and acknowledged his appreciation for their efforts whilst welcoming Deborah to her new role. The staff, volunteers, board members, project leaders and children of Vision Africa projects echo this message and wish Rev. and Mrs. Packard a happy retirement.
If you would like to support the work our founders started at Percy Davies School for children with special needs, please use our contact form to get in touch or click here to donate now. You can also choose to sponsor a child at this school for as little as £7 ($12) a month. As our new Field Director Deborah Kimathi said, we hope that Vision Africa can continue in the spirit in which it was founded and help give brighter futures to many more children like those who are benefiting from Percy Davies School.
