Papaya Kay Foundation

Papaya Kay Foundation Building capacity in parents of children with complex disabilities

YOUTH TO YOUTH SUPPORT - The Church In our pursuit of community engagement to raise awareness on disability inclusivity,...
28/08/2026

YOUTH TO YOUTH SUPPORT - The Church

In our pursuit of community engagement to raise awareness on disability inclusivity, on 27th August 2026, our youths with disabilities and their caregivers who are the parents, siblings and grand parents 42 in number altogether enjoyed a warm fellowship from the youths of Go Live and dare Foundation Zambia.

They reached out in a collaboration to come and learn about disability and lifestyle. In the end, their experience went beyond the plan! They helped the caregivers, connected well with their peers, held hands and prayed together, sang and danced and shared a meal. They had a practical hands on experience and appreciated the differences, the challenges, the resilience, the acceptance, the grace, the hope, the needs, and desires of their peers and parents.

Now they can ask the question:

"How can I help?"

Thank you for reaching out to us and creating the beautiful friendships we witnessed yesterday.

Indeed it takes a village to raise a child, especially one with a disability.

Thank you for helping us help others.







Shout out to our newest followers! Excited to have you onboard! Eletisha Mwale, Nancy Mwale, Luswepo Matilda Kapapa, Lov...
08/08/2026

Shout out to our newest followers! Excited to have you onboard! Eletisha Mwale, Nancy Mwale, Luswepo Matilda Kapapa, Lovenes Kilayi, Ivy Muzukulu Wamu Lala, Mwape K***a, Mathews Kasonso Meekson Chanda

Shared Experience and Peer Mentorship in Disability AdvocacyWhen parents seek support from Papaya Kay Foundation​followi...
06/08/2026

Shared Experience and Peer Mentorship in Disability Advocacy

When parents seek support from Papaya Kay Foundation
​following a child’s new diagnosis, peer-to-peer support offers a unique bridge between a lived experience and long-term capacity building.

Our story in the posted pictures is about our staff member with a disability and a returning parent to the Lusaka support group.

In 2023 Amake Blessings, Amake Happiness back then was introduced to the parents support group by her neighbor who was already a member, Her daughter had been diagnosed with hydrocephalus. 9 months later, her child got sick and passed away. After 3 years she had another baby, a boy, he too was born with a shortened right leg and missing fingers on his left hand.

For 6 months she kept her son indoors because of the stigma in her community. While the parents accepted their child, the community mocked them for having a second child with a disability. Then her friend told her about our Field Officer with the same disability as her child but can work, walk and also write well.

She came!

Bringing together a newly diagnosed child with a disability and an adult who shares the same disability indeed transforms every guidance into real life experience and representation.







MISSION:1. Establish, strengthen community based support groupsWhat a way to end the month of July!With the consent of t...
01/08/2026

MISSION:

1. Establish, strengthen community based support groups

What a way to end the month of July!

With the consent of their parents, Papaya Kay Foundation has finally set up our first Lusaka Youths and Adolescents support group! We are in awe that we have walked with some of these big girls and boys for almost 10 years, walking with their parents through the parents support groups and now we are here. Their parents taught them what they learned, now they themselves will begin to learn on their own too while being supported by their parents, families, their communities and all of us that love them.

16 youths and adolescents between the ages of 13 to 21 years old showed up! What a village!

Indeed, it takes a village to raise a child especially one with a disability.










29/07/2026

UNCRPD:
Full inclusion and participation in daily life.

A Father attending our training in Ndola on understanding and claiming the rights of children with disabilities explains how he understands and applies this with his child diagnosed with a disability.






29/07/2026

Improved health seeking behaviors by persons with disabilities:

When a child is enjoying good health, they can access all other support services available to them.

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being, which aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

At PKF, we contribute to this by building capacity in parents, guardians and caregivers of children with complex disabilities, their families and communities they live in so that we can achieve inclusive health coverage.





28/07/2026

Health and rehabilitation capacity building trainings with the Ndola parents support group on nutrition, safe feeding and positioning.

Our facilitators use practical and easy to understand techniques and language to ensure no information is lost along the way.

An informed parent, guardian and caregiver makes good decisions in the care and support of their child with a disability.










26/07/2026

We did not name it specifically until a Facilitator asked us about it during an Organization capacity assessment tool administration.

"Before we begin, does Papaya Kay Foundation have a tradition?"

And we all chorused, "Yes, we begin with a prayer".

At our every training, parents and caregivers support group meeting, a participant opens in a word of prayer.

Our love is not enough to cover pain, exhaustion, shattered hope and the support each and every parent, guardian, child with a disability, their families and communities they live in, in order for us to fully impact their lives. And so we ask God to help us.

A grandmother praying for the PKF Team at our meeting in Ndola, a newly established site for our interventions as we support and build capacity in parents raising children with complex disabilities.






HEROES DAY AND OUR PKF HEROES AND HEROINESParents of children with disabilities are heroes and heroines whose daily stru...
07/07/2026

HEROES DAY AND OUR PKF HEROES AND HEROINES

Parents of children with disabilities are heroes and heroines whose daily struggles go beyond romanticizing their daily struggles, relentless stamina, advocacy, and profound patience which they demonstrate. They juggle the roles of nurse, therapist, teacher, advocate, and trasport officer, some with grown children on their backs walking long distances to access services while fighting to ensure their child is included in a world filled with stigma and exclusions. They carry stubborn hope, and the deep, often misunderstood, love for their children.

They rarely get to just "be" parents, wearing a myriad of hats sometimes all at the same time. They speak up for their children in doctor's offices, in schools, community meetings, and against societal stigma. They are constantly creating new ways to communicate while carefully managing their little finances, Patiently developing a depth of endurance that turns struggles into strength. Constantly showing up even after sleepless nights while quietly holding their child's hand through the storms, fighting battles the world will never see.

While regular parents measure traditional milestones, parents of children with disabilities are heroic because they measure the small victories such as holding a spoon, a newly tried food or a small step forward.

Society must offer practical support, empathy, and a listening ear, create inclusive spaces, remove barriers, leverage equity, provide mentorship and encouragement for parents walking this journey.

WHY?

BECAUSE;
They are Human first. True heroism isn't about being invincible; it is about feeling exhausted, shedding secret tears, and still finding the strength to keep going.

We celebrate you, We see you! Always.

Thank you for helping us help others.

05/06/2026

Some of our participants walk many kilometers to attend our trainings and parents group meetings. During our monitoring visits in livingstone we drove a total of 200 kms to Musokotwane village to Amai Nchimunya's house who was very excited to see our team. At our first attempt we found the stream too high to drive through it so we drove back to make a second attempt using another route.

Commitment, resilience, desire to access information, desire to belong, hope, love, inclusion. That's what we witness in our beneficiaries.






Address

P O BOX 31229
Lusaka
10101

Opening Hours

Tuesday 09:00 - 15:00
Wednesday 09:00 - 15:00
Thursday 09:00 - 15:00
Friday 09:00 - 15:00
Saturday 09:00 - 12:00

Telephone

+260965320692

Website

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