Kupenda for the children

06/17/2026

This Learning Disability Week, we’re celebrating every child’s right to learn, grow, and belong.

Too often, children with learning disabilities are left out of classrooms, misunderstood by peers, or told they cannot succeed. But we know something different is true: with the right support, understanding, and inclusion, every child can thrive.

Learning disabilities are not a lack of ability. They are a call to reimagine how we teach, support, and include.

At Kupenda, we walk alongside families, teachers, and communities to break down stigma and build environments where children with disabilities are welcomed and supported to learn in their own way.

This week, we invite you to reflect and act:
• How can we make learning more inclusive in our communities?
• How can we listen better to children and families?
• How can we replace stigma with support?

Inclusion is not an extra. It is the foundation of meaningful education.

06/16/2026

What does true wisdom look like?

In Season 2, Episode 2 of Unlikely Gifts, host Frank Boswell sits down with Kupenda co-founders Leonard Mbonani and Cynthia Bauer to explore how wisdom has shaped their journey alongside children with disabilities and their families in Kenya.

From the unexpected role of a tiny elephant shrew in Kupenda's founding story to powerful lessons learned from listening to those often overlooked by society, this conversation challenges us to rethink what it means to be wise.

Discover why humility, curiosity, and recognizing what we don't know may be the greatest sources of wisdom—and how valuing every person's gifts can transform lives and communities.

🎙️ Listen now and join the conversation.

06/11/2026

This September, Kupenda is opening a new occupational therapy room in Kilifi County, Kenya, creating more opportunities for children with disabilities to learn, play, and thrive.

With the right therapy and sensory equipment, this space will allow Kupenda to serve three times as many children each week while equipping parents with practical skills they can use at home every day.

Many families in coastal Kenya have few options for therapy services. Together, we can help ensure children receive the support they need to reach their full potential.

Will you help us equip this new space?

Give here:

06/08/2026

Season 2 of Unlikely Gifts is here! 🎙️

On Unlikely Gifts, Kupenda's podcast, you'll hear from our co-founders Leonard Mbonani and Cynthia Bauer as they reflect on how their experiences working alongside families impacted by disabilities in Africa have revealed both life's greatest gifts and its deepest challenges.

In the first episode of Season 2, host Frank Boswell sits down with Leonard and Cynthia to explore the extraordinary friendship at the heart of Kupenda's work.

Together, they share how a shared vision, cultural differences, personal struggles, and faith have shaped a partnership built on trust, resilience, and a commitment to transforming disability stigma into dignity, belonging, and hope.

Tune in to hear the story behind the movement and the friendship that helped make it possible.

Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Amazon Music.

06/05/2026

Hear what SIL Global, one of Kupenda's partners, had to say about Kupenda's Disability Guidebook, a collection of short summaries covering some of the most common disabilities in low-income countries:

"We translated it into Amharic, one of the major languages spoken in Ethiopia, and used it to train teacher supervisors in rural Ethiopia from three other language communities. Then, I asked the supervisors to translate it from Amharic into their mother tongue languages.

One of the challenges was that we don't have the right labels for some disabilities. For example, something like spina bifida does not have an Amharic word, so we had to explain it using a phrase.

But because it was picture-based, it was very helpful. Much of the information was communicated through illustrations, especially in showing the symptoms and the assistance that the community can give. That made it a very helpful resource for the teacher supervisors to use."

Check out the resource here: https://kupenda.org/resources/disability-guidebook/

06/04/2026

Creating safe environments for children starts with knowledge and action.

Last month, our team facilitated an abuse prevention training, strengthening local leaders' understanding of child safeguarding, recognizing signs of abuse, and responding appropriately when concerns arise.

Every child deserves to grow up safe, valued, and protected.

06/03/2026

Last week, Kupenda brought disability inclusion training to the Kenya Forest Research Institute's (KEFRI) Gede Office, where more than 30 staff members participated in a conversation about building more inclusive communities and workplaces.

Trainings like these help equip staff with the knowledge and awareness to better include, support, and engage people with disabilities in their work and daily interactions, creating more welcoming and accessible spaces for all.

06/02/2026

Therapy services for children with disabilities in coastal Kenya are disappearing just when families need them most.

Foreign aid cuts are forcing clinics to reduce services, lay off staff, or close. Kupenda is responding by opening a new occupational therapy room in Kilifi County this September.

With the right equipment, this room will allow us to serve three times as many children each week and help parents learn practical ways to support their children at home.

Please help us equip this life-changing space!

Give here:

06/01/2026

We are so thankful for the support and encouragement of The Rock Church in Scarborough, Maine! Their children’s ministry recently created a beautiful new wall display helping kids learn about Kupenda’s work and the value and dignity of ALL people, including children with disabilities.

A portion of their children’s church offerings also supports Kupenda’s programs in Kenya, helping young people put compassion and inclusion into action.

Want to help kids learn about inclusion, kindness, and the importance of valuing every person? We’d love to connect with other churches interested in helping the next generation become advocates for disability inclusion around the world. Contact us at [email protected] to learn more!

05/29/2026