Social Workers from the O Center for Children continue to conduct home visits in the Machakos County area. Eighteen families have been identified as caring for a child or children with developmental disabilities and require some sort of assistance. Some of these children have never been properly diagnosed. Some suffer additionally from malnutrition while some require extensive Occupational and Physical Therapy. A number of these children are being raised by grandparents, since one or more of the parents have left the family. In addition to the eighteen families visited thus far, there remains another dozen homes to be visited.
The Ed Colina Foundation will continue to evaluate each family situation and offer assistance in one of the following ways: (1) At-home care (food, clothing, bed nets, therapy clinics at the O Center) (2) Respite Care placement at the O Center for a designated period of time, to recover nutritional health and receive therapies (3) Long-term placement at the O-Center when there is no adequate home care provided from the family. The Center also plans to provide classes on nutrition, childcare and child development open to all. Therapists, a Nutritionist and Pediatrician will be brought to the Center from Machakos Level Five Hospital.