Naomi Ndung’u founded the Vanessa Grant School for children with Special Needs. Having significantly improved the lives of many mentally and physically handicapped Kenyan children, after 20 years, Naomi was ready to begin a new project. Naomi’s new project – called Flames of Hope – is a combined school and sheltered living place for young people who have no speech. It will also be a home for those who have graduated from the Vocational Training School and are now working in the Rongai community, but who need a secure and caring place to return to each night. At the moment these young people have to leave their employment in the holidays as they currently live at the Vocational Training School which follows the national term dates and closes in the holidays.
Building layout
Flames of Hope is situated on two adjacent plots of land close the Vanessa Grant Girls’ School (VGGS). Construction work started in June 2017. This is being phased, with the first phase consisting of a washroom, a dormitory, a teaching room and an office. A second classroom was added in 2019.
Naomi Ndung’u speaks of what inspires her to work the way she does with some of Kenya’s most mentally and physically challenged children. In this video she talks about her experiences setting up the VGS school for mentally and physically handicapped children