Education and Vocational Training
for Children with Disability
The Vanessa Grant Trust has supported the development of schools, residential facilities and vocational training for children and young adults with disability since 2000.
Vanessa Grant Special School
The first project undertaken by VGT, the Vanessa Grant Special School (VGS) is a boarding and learning facility for forty children with psychosocial disability aged between the 6 and 15 years. Opened in 2000, the facilities have been steadily expanded by the addition of classrooms, a therapy room, kitchen, play areas and staff accommodations. Supporting infrastructure has been added to ensure reliability of both water and power supply and to enable the School to be as self-sustaining as possible: rainwater tanks, solar power, and produce garden irrigation.
The children at the School develop skills to enable them to contribute to their community. Tasks of daily living such as looking after animals, planting and tending vegetables and chicken production are all encouraged, as well as classroom time to develop reading and writing skills. The students are also offered some pre-vocational skills training such as weaving, bead work and sewing.
The School has received tremendous support over many years from medical and allied health professionals who have volunteered their time to extend the skills of local staff and build expertise: occupational therapy, behaviour management and communication skills, vocational training and first aid. Of particular note, a horse riding program commenced in 2005 has continued to provide benefits for the students for almost 20 years.
The VGS has been described as a “model special needs school”, with some of the best-equipped facilities in Kenya. There is a limited welfare state in Kenya, and without the VGS many of these children would not receive any education or training, and would be condemned to a life of extreme poverty.
While the government covers the cost of staff salaries and partial living costs, parents are still expected to provide funds for their children to live at the School during term time. As many families struggle to pay, sometimes supplementing upkeep by contributing garden produce or livestock to the School, sponsorship is critical to providing resources for skills development, dietary supplements, and medical care. The majority of the student places at the Vanessa Grant Special School receive fee support.
“Because we recognise that there is a great deal of work to be done to support women, children, and vulnerable communities. The journey is long and we are nowhere near its end. The world needs more heads, hands and hearts devoted to doing it.”
H. E. Margaret Kenyatta, Former First Lady of Kenya, Educator
Vocational Training Centre
The Rongai Vocational Training Centre was established to provide ongoing development facilities for students completing their time at the Vanessa Grant Special School. The Centre is located within easy walking distance of the Vanessa Grant Special School and is a residential facility for 40 students.
With building works commencing in 2008, the Centre was opened with two classrooms in 2009 and six students enrolling. At capacity by 2011, a boarding facility was added in 2012 and boarding for boys commenced in 2013. Two additional classrooms were built in 2018 to provide space for vocational activities. Infrastructure such as a water tank and tower, biodigester and two greenhouses have been added.
This facility now consists of six teaching rooms and a dormitory block for the boys. The girls are housed in a separate dormitory nearby. A live-in supervisor has responsibility for the day-to-day welfare of the students.
The Centre offers skills-focussed courses to the more able children from the Vanessa Grant Special School as well as to primary school leavers from Rongai. The skills these young adults learn include knitting, tailoring, sewing, hairdressing, nutrition, cooking, music leatherwork and simple furniture making. Computers have been introduced together with educational software, further broadening skills development of the students.
“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”
Desmond Tutu, South African Bishop and Theologian
Flames of Hope
Training & Sheltered Living
The Flames of Hope is a combined school and sheltered living place for children and young people with no speech. Naomi Ndungu, the founder of the Vanessa Grant Special School, had particular success in enabling children with limited or no speech to be able to communicate, and her initiative with Flames of Hope has been a natural extension of that work.
Flames of Hope is a residential facility for those students who have graduated from the Vocational Training Centre and are now working in the Rongai community. Situated on two adjacent plots of land close to the Vanessa Grant Girls’ School (VGGS), Flames of Hope was constructed in 2017 with fundraising support from Brambletye School, and the first 8 residents were accepted in 2018.
Join Flames of Hope residents for Friday life skills here.
Another much-needed teaching room was added in 2019 with fundraising by Oundle School, and donors in the UK and Australia supported the development of a kitchen and store in 2021. Infrastructure has been added to the facility to ensure water security and safety of the residents. Flames of Hope now consists of two teaching rooms, a dormitory, washroom, kitchen and store and an office.
Open year-round, residents can continue their employment during school term closures and know they have a secure and caring place to return to each night. Flames of Hope also provides day care services for a small number of nursery age children due to demand in the local area. Annual enrolment at the facility is more than 25.