Kilimani Integrated Primary School

Dear Friends and Readers,

Today we had our first visit to the Kilimani Integrated Primary School. We could have never anticipated what awaited us at this new partner school. A banner stretched across the entrance of the headmaster’s office reading:

“Disability is not inability. Give me a chance to prove it!”

We were immediately intrigued and felt an air of divine presence. We knew of Kilimani as a school that is passionate about ensuring the success of free public education for all of their students and that’s why we appealed to them to be our partner. However, we were unaware that we had landed ourselves in an inclusive school until we sat down with the headmaster and lead teacher today and they shared the vision statement of the school:

“To be a leading provider of integration and inclusive learning. To provide pupils with knowledge and skills that will make all children independent and more resourceful.”

As we began to dialogue with the lead teacher and headmaster, learning about the philosophy of the Klimani School and sharing with them about the Henderson Inclusion School, we found ourselves speaking “the same language”. It was impossible to hold back tears on both sides of the table. The headmaster exclaimed, “This is certainly a work of God to bring us together!”

It was as if we transported 8,000 miles back to the Henderson School in an instant, when we were introduced to Steven, a blind student in the 7^th grade who greeted us with a confident demeanor, smile that lit up the room, and firm handshake. The headmaster spoke of his many academic achievements, performing at the highest level alongside is non-disabled peers. Notice how he smiles so proudly after hearing his headmaster’s accolades in the photograph above.

We are planning to observe classrooms and teachers next week and learn from this school that includes typical learners, the visually impaired, and deaf/blind students. We are still pinching ourselves in disbelief that by day 2 in Nairobi, already our expectations have been wildly surpassed! We cannot wait to see what will happen next!

Walking on air,

Terri & Danielle