Our Founding Story
“I was inspired to be a change-maker in addressing the challenges children with disabilities & their caregivers face.” – Maria
Our founder Maria Omare set up The Action Foundation (TAF) in 2010 after interacting with children with disabilities while volunteering at a Kenyatta University inclusive sports event. Noting the potential, determination, and resilience that these children have -despite the immense challenges they experienced- she believed that given a fair chance, they would thrive. Her volunteer experience opened her world to the realities of the lives of children with disabilities and inspired her to be a change-maker.
Her journey took her to Kibera slums, where she encountered another layer to these systemic challenges. Here she met caregivers who solely shouldered the heavy burden of raising their children with limited resources and support from the community. She noted that girls with disabilities had to endure puberty without guidance and the inaccessibility of SRHR services among women with disabilities. The cases of exclusion, neglect, violence, and abuse that she witnessed as a result of these limitations and damaging attitudes accelerated her commitment to active change.
In March 2012, with modest savings and contributions from the community and well-wishers, Maria set up a rehabilitation center for special needs children at Mashimoni Village in the heart of Kibera. The center has since grown into an inclusive hub and resource center supported by rehabilitation professionals, disability inclusion experts, social workers, and educators who help to break the barriers she observed.
Today, TAF works with local and international development organizations, national and county governments, corporations and multinationals, allies, and communities to transform the lives of children, women and girls with disabilities in marginalized communities. We are creating lasting change while keeping the human rights of persons with disabilities at the heart of everything we do.