Learners at Kibos School for the Blind received food supplies and pairs of shoes during as part of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) by Sarova Hotels.
Sarova Hotels Sales and Marketing Director Nita Vora said the CSR initiative was inspired by earlier discussions with the school’s administration and a desire to support vulnerable learners.
Vora added that Sarova Hotels was exploring broader support areas, including infrastructure improvement, especially dormitory facilities for learners.
“We are going to have a wish list, and one of the things we want to put on that list is the girls’ rooms,” she said.
She further explained that the visit also served as a preliminary assessment of the school’s needs, with more structured interventions expected in future CSR engagements.
“We wanted to bring food and shoes first, and now we move into the strategy of what happens next,” she added.
The school’s head of institution Caroline Templer said the donation came at a critical time for learners who face multiple challenges in accessing education and mobility support.
She said the school hosts learners with total blindness and low vision, and continues to struggle with limited resources despite support from the government and partners.
Templer said the donated shoes would be particularly helpful during rainy seasons when movement within the compound becomes difficult due to poor infrastructure.
“The learners struggle to move around when it rains because the ground becomes slippery and flooded,” she said.
She noted that the institution still relies on outdated infrastructure, some of which dates back to its establishment in 1963 by The Salvation Army, which remains the school’s sponsor.
Templer said learning materials for visually impaired learners are costly, making it difficult for the school to fully meet academic needs.
She explained that assessment alone costs more than Sh100,000 due to expensive braille papers, slates, stylers, and braille machines required for instruction.
She highlighted urgent infrastructure needs, including pavements to improve mobility and safer movement for learners within the compound.
She also pointed to inadequate dormitory facilities, especially for girls, saying overcrowding remains a key challenge affecting comfort and welfare.
Templer said lack of proper infrastructure affects both learning and wellbeing, noting that comfortable environments help learners perform better academically.
She urged more community and private sector support, saying special needs education requires sustained investment in resources, infrastructure, and care systems.
