Abel House is our next endeavour.

As an outreach program, we do all we can to support families with children with disabilities so they can take care of their kids at home. But there are times when one of our students is recovering from surgery or an illness, the parents are away at a funeral or preparing their gardens for planting, or other situations when the child does not have the attention he or she needs at home. Because of this, we have built a small safe haven for temporary stays.

Abel House is also where we host regular outreach clinics for physiotherapy, wheelchair maintenance, counselling and workshops for families. Also, the kids in our program are starting to grow up. We are looking for income generating occupations for them, and Abel House offers them a platform for that. Using fabric scraps, they are weaving doormats and we are starting sewing and basic carpentry classes. We are still hunting for project ideas, so if you can think of anything, feel free to share!

The site is about 6 km from Livingstonia and includes two four-bed dorms, a treatment room, manager’s room, office, storage space, indoor and outdoor kitchens, compost toilets and showers that all surround the covered courtyard that is our social, creative, play and exercise area.

To support our staff at the house, parents volunteer time to help out. They support the caretakers with maintenance and looking after the kids. Not only will this give them an opportunity to give back in a way that lies within their means, but it will also teach them mechanisms that will help to take the load off at home.

The Abel Program’s main objective will still be its outreach work, supporting families with kids with disabilities at home.