In 2021 L’Arche Kenya organized the second Stretching our limits campaign dubbed #PedalForHealth. It involved various cycling activities. The objective of the campaign was to reconnect with old and make new friends and to raise funds to cater for the medical needs of people with disabilities, to set up a fitness centre for adults and children with disabilities, and to make L’Arche Kenya’s premises and means of transport more accessible to people with disabilities.
From the launch of the Stretching Our Limits 2021 in June, I felt the need to have a personal project within the overall objective. I gave myself a target to cycle at least 1,000km in three months with a desire to raise Kes.100,000 in order to help my friend Gathoni, a core-member of L’Arche Kenya, to acquire an oxygen concentrator. Because I still had carry out my roles as the community leader, I cycled mostly on the weekends and invited my friends to sponsor me with Kes. 100 for every kilometer I covered. In less than two months I had received enough funds to buy the oxygen concentrator and by the end of the campaign which was marked by the grand cycle of 200kms in one day, from Nairobi to Nyahururu, on the 18th of September 2021, I had received contributions of close to Kes. 250,000 in total.
When the 2021 #PedalForHealth campaign began, I simply wanted to do something good for my friend Gathoni, but as I continued to cycle, the whole campaign turned into a very deep spiritual experience for me. It was a moment to re-connect with and to invite my friends to a special mission. It was a time to inspire others; friends, colleagues, and strangers, to a mission that was bigger than them. Covid-19 had pushed people to close up into themselves and only think about their well-being, so this was a special vocation to call people out of themselves, to work together and to do something good for a brother or sister.
This mission wasn’t going to be easy. There were moments when it became very challenging on the road on my bike. There were days when I cycled against strong winds, in the rains, under very hot sun and even my bike broke down. Some days I met motorists who weren’t very kind to us on our busy roads. Other days I just didn’t have the energy to push up the hills. On some rides with my L’Arche Kenya team mates, I could be left behind by a number of kilometers, like the day of the main trip from Nairobi to Nyahururu. In such moments, I chose to remain with me and to reflect more on my being and my mission in life. I also got the rare opportunity to touch my limits and to reconnect with my God. Somehow in those moments I had a deep conviction that only God could grant me the grace and the strength I needed for the journey I had committed to do.
The campaign also gave me an opportunity to connect with and to give thanks for the beautiful nature: the beautiful trees along the roads, the wind, the sun, the rain, the cool breeze in the early morning and late evening rides. I also become much more aware and attentive to my body. I got to know and to appreciate myself more; I knew when I was tired and I knew when I needed to stop and I also knew when I had the energy to push further. I learnt how to be gentle to myself and to others in the team.
All through the campaign I carried my friend Gathoni in my heart and I felt so united with her in spirit and especially in moments when I too, just like her, struggled to breathe while going through the tough terrains of Nyandarua, Nakuru and Likipia counties. In my silence I whispered to myself, “Maurice, it’s ok to lose your breath if it is the only way to give your friend breath”.
The purchase of the oxygen concentrator gave my friend Gathoni a new lease of life and also improved in a big way her quality of life. With this machine, Gathoni has been able to live a normal life and even travel to places she couldn’t before, without her care givers worrying about what would happen when her oxygen levels go down. With the help of L’Arche Kenya’s leather workshop team, we made a nice case for the machine which makes it look like just an ordinary suitcase whenever Gathoni travels. Before we got the oxygen concentrator, Gathoni used oxygen cylinders which were very expensive to buy and refill and at the same time scary to the people who encountered her in her journeys. I remember there were times when we were invited to places as a community, but we were afraid to go with Gathoni keeping in mind that even without such medical equipment our community members have in the past been denied entry to some facilities just because we had a person with a disability among us, so we feared what would happen if we also checked in with Oxygen cylinders.
I am not sure if my friends who contributed Kes.100 for every kilometer I cycled knew what their little contribution meant to me and to my friends with disabilities at L’Arche Kenya. I am not sure they understood that just by that simple act, they were saving somebody’s life!
THANK YOU FOR HELPING MY FRIEND GATHONI TO BREATHE.
Muthiga Maurice
A member of L’Arche Kenya.
“Leo hajajifunua sana, nimeamka kumfunika tu mara moja (Today, he hasn’t uncovered himself so much, I only woke up to cover him once.)” says Paul as I enter their room to give the morning support. Paul is referring to Moses Kimani whom he shares a room. Paul is a core member with epilepsy and for many people, He is a receiver of care, but for Moses Kimani Paul is a giver of care.
From the day Moses joined Betania home one year ago, Paul has made it his personal responsibility to look after Kimani as he refers to him as his younger brother. Paul has made a personal effort to learn from the assistants how they support Kimani and even asks for a chance to support Kimani in intimate care in the presence of an assistant, just to be sure that he is doing it right. Many are the times he has sacrificed his sleep to ensure that Kimani doesn’t catch a cold at night as Kimani from time to time uncovers himself while sleeping. He has become famous for his phrase: “Siwezi taka brathe apate homa kwaajili ya kujifunua usiku( I wouldn’t want my brother to catch a cold from uncovering himself at night)”
Kimani has not been the only beneficiary of Paul’s care, the other core members and assistants are also of his concern. Paul is very keen to help where his help is needed. He will not just watch as others struggle with something, he can comfortably do, He is proactive and always steps in to give his support e.g using his height to help other members to reach items, emptying the dustbin, folding Musa’s and Kimani’s cloths, tying Musa’s shoe laces, supporting Kimani in feeding, the list is endless. He has also been a very strong advocate against the wastage of food. He has in many ways encouraged and inspired the assistants to continue working hard.
Paul has given us a chance to look beyond his disability by showing us what he can do and how much of a resource to the home he can be. He has taught us that if we focus too much on someone’s weaknesses we stand a high chance of missing out on his strengths.
We planned the event over a couple of weeks. A few youth, assistants and core members teamed up to organize the event for the youth by the youth. We named it YOUTH DAY 2021.
The goal of the event is to nominate youth ambassadors to spearhead their peers’ efforts in support of people with intellectual disabilities. It will also offer them a chance to begin learning leadership skills early.
Some of the activities planned for the day included a spiritual input from Ps. Gitari, life testimony from one of the pioneer volunteers in the outreach programme and sharing of personal experiences by guardians and people living with a disability. The icing on the cake was a fashion show.
All the participants put their best effort in the activities. We sang, danced, cat walked and wore our fanciest costumes.
In the end, the following were announced as the first among equals
- Miss L’Arche Kenya – Esther Njeri
- Mr. L’Arche Kenya – Robert Kinyanjui
- Miss L’Arche Kenya special category – Keziah Wanjiku
- Mr. L’Arche Kenya special category – Michael Kariuki
My congratulations to the named individuals. Kindly be aware that this is only the beginning. We expect a lot from you.
In the same breath, I invite all the other youth to rally behind their leaders for mutual betterment of lives of both people with and without disabilities. Today we have our leaders but tomorrow we will be the ones called upon to lead.
Kudos to the organizers and participants for a wonderful event. Looking forward to next year’s event
Alex Kamale is 35 years old member of L’Arche Kenya and lives with his brother in the outskirts of Nyahururu town in Nyandarua County. He has a learning disability associated to a mild mental impairment. In L’Arche Kenya, adults with intellectual disabilities like Alex are also referred to as core members because they are at the centre of all the organizational interventions. The organization offers home care, nurtures the gifts of adults with intellectual disabilities through occupational training and involves them in advocating for disability inclusion in the society through outreach activities.
Alex comes from home every morning to work and goes back in the evening as a core member in the day program. This routine gives him a chance to go to work like other men of his age, his disability notwithstanding. Previously he worked in the candle-making workshop where he did well and could independently produce candles with minimal support. He has since moved to the bakery workshop which is both an occupational therapy workshop and an income generating project for the organization, because he likes baking and making pastries. He has improved his baking skills and can make pastries such as tea scones, cookies and mandazi. He also operates the oven with minimal support. He is good in time management, hygiene and socialization.
His other hobbies include cycling and watching TV. Due to his cycling prowess, the core member is a team captain in the 2021 cycling event dubbed “stretching our limits campaign” which aims at raising funds and making awareness about disabilities. His team has a target of Kshs. 1.5 million.
The plan is to have Alex perfect his baking skills and finally be exited into the outside job market to work in his area of interest as a baker. It is consequently expected that he will earn an income and live an independent life. His growth as an adult living and working independently shall be a perfect witness of the potential of adults with intellectual disabilities which is the mission of L’Arche Kenya.
This weekend, as I was cooling my aching body after a bumpy 30km practice bicycle ride I was wondering, WHAT EXACTLY AM I RIDING FOR? What happens once we achieve the targets of the campaign?
Since May 2021, I, some members of L’Arche Kenya and our friends have been engaged in a campaign to raise funds and create awareness on issues pertaining to disabilities. The campaign will culminate in mid-September 2021.
We target to raise Kes.4,000,000/-. The funds will be used in
- Medication for use by people living with disabilities.
- Accessibility and mobility by introducing ramps to vehicles for easier access by people on wheelchair and disability inclusive amenities in washrooms.
- Equipping a therapy fitness centre for use by both adults and children with disabilities.
This weekend, as I was cooling my aching body after a bumpy 30km practice bicycle ride I was wondering, WHAT EXACTLY AM I RIDING FOR? What happens once we achieve the targets of the campaign?
It dawned on me that the greater goal of the campaign is inclusion and dignity. Very important keywords in disability circles. It hit me how many times in the course of my job I have taken away someone’s dignity as I supported them to overcome challenges (exclusion) posed by disability. How many times I have watched people with disabilities fail to participate in certain activities because a minor adjustment necessary to improve access has been overlooked.
I have …
- Lifted people physically to help them board or disembark from vehicles in a manner that put me within their personal space. Maybe they didn’t like it but what choice did they have?
- Discussed with potential supporters, intimate details about medical needs of other people. All the while I never mentioned mine and found more private ways to sort them out. Maybe the person wished they had the means to sort theirs without everyone in the neighbourhood or church hearing about it.
- Watched helplessly several times how people with disabilities were unable to access fitness centres and gyms because they had no confidence to use the equipment. Sometimes the people in charge of the equipment (and rightly so) were not sure that the persons with disability could use the equipment safely.
- Been alled upon numerous times to support people use non inclusive facilities like toilets and showers. The only thing that stood between their privacy and dignity was a bar of stainless steel properly placed to support the person. The price paid by those persons is having their private spaces encroached into in the name of support.
Many other things like … didn’t go right because I didn’t act.
These thoughts have made me feel more energized to continue the pedalling. I invite you, my friends, to the privilege of doing our small part in correcting this anomaly. I want to make it a beginning and hopefully the small step will create a spiral of other actions towards making our environment more supportive for the dignity and inclusion of everyone. Maybe in the future I will have far less to feel guilty about.
You can join by sending a contribution to
- Mpesa Paybill 64 64 57 account stretching 2021.
- Sharing widely in your networks about the campaign and inviting your friends to support the campaign as above.
Peter’s Diary is a collection of articles describing L’Arche Kenya from the eyes of an assistant. All the articles are real and factual though they relate to different members of the community.
The Happy Valley is a region in the central part of Kenya that is the subject of innumerable books and quite a few films though its significance has been lost to many locals. The Valley was made famous by the escapades and antics of it’s by then residents. Largely British and Anglo-Irish aristocrats, their lifestyles, wild parties, drinking, and drugs attracted equal measures of loathing and admiration depending on the audience.
Overlooking the so-called Happy Valley on the hills of Engineer township is where I found myself and five other colleagues on holiday recently. I must hasten to state that the destination for our holiday did was not based on the fame of the location.
L’Arche Kenya core members have holidays from time to time. They are intended to allow them to reconnect with friends and family, travel, get out of the dreary routine of work and do something exciting. Assistants like myself of course have the welcome privilege to join in.
Many core members are clear where they want to go and I as an assistant can with reasonable certainty the trip following their ideas.
But for Jane and Allan, the issue is not straightforward. Jane’s family lives far from the community. She also has special needs requiring extended support. These factors make a holiday at her home challenging. Allan on the other hand has no close family members where he could go for a holiday.
Luckily, a former assistant invited the two core members and the accompanying assistants to join her family. And that is why we ended on the outskirts of the (in)famous Happy Valley. This was proof of how relationships formed at L’Arche Kenya can last even if people leave the organization. We had a great time and the holiday was a success for all involved.
