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Removed
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This charity was removed from the register on 23 Nov 2023
- Charity no. 100726
- Date registered. 08/10/2014
Public benefits
Our Sanctuary for Sick Children in Kenya offers free medical care, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, orthotics, prosthetics and medicines to disabled children.This assists their families financially, as without our services many would be unable to afford treatment.Social stigma against disabled people remains strong in Kenya, and therefore the
children whom we treat are often the victims of abuse or discrimination.We run a day care centre for disabled children who would otherwise be left alone at home while their carers go to work.Here, they are able to take part in various activities including crafts, music therapy and sensory play which greatly improve their quality of life. We distribute cardboard support chairs that are made in an on-site workshop by local mothers of disabled children who attend our clinic. These are tailor-made for each child after an assessment by our physiotherapist, and they radically improve the lives of children who have no other chance of receiving specialist disability equipment. We give them out free, and they bring a variety of benefits including better breathing, posture and digestion, as well as social interaction. The chairs are fully environmentally-sustainable. The work of our clinic has significantly improved the lives of the children who attend it, and those of their families. Our free services are available to anyone who needs them, and often the carers of disabled children travel for many miles in order to visit the Sanctuary. Our medical treatments are all carried out by trained professionals. We employ a team of nurses, and specialists in the clinic; this private benefit is incidental. In N. Ireland, we support the work of The Befrienders, whose beneficiaries are disabled people who wish to attend church at the Metropolitan Tabernacle. We provide specialised transport to and from church services, and ensure that our service users are met by volunteer ‘Befrienders’ once there, who sit with and attend to them. The church is a place of public worship, with an online live feed. Taking part in a church service has very positive impact on the spiritual, emotional and mental health of our disabled service users. We feel that they should have equal access to places of worship as the able-bodied, and our work facilitates that. Socially, disabled people make friends and feel supported through the work of our volunteers, and the day trips and social events we provide help them to integrate into society. We also provide home visits. The Befrienders operates for everyone with or affected by disability, without discrimination. We welcome people of any faiths or none to use our services and attend church. We recognise the importance of the right of choice for the individual, and people with disabilities are free to use our services or not as they wish. In Kenya, we have a church connected to the Sanctuary site. It is open to all.A Director of The Befrienders is employed to coordinate all of the buses, events and volunteers. This private benefit is incidental. Through the day care centre we run in Kenya, we give disabled children informal education which would be unavailable to them otherwise. We also run a child sponsorship scheme through which a few children can attend school where possible. The women employed in our chair workshop are also trained in creating paper products. They make paper from scratch and then fashion it into cards and decorations which are sold to support the work of the Sanctuary. This provides new skills, employment and security which these women otherwise would not have. This private benefit is incidental.We work with the families who attend our clinic, training them in caring for their disabled children. Through this, the children’s carers can contribute to their ongoing treatment and care, and we see more progress in the children as a result.A Strategic Manager is employed to coordinate all the activities of our charity. This private benefit is incidental.
What your organisation does
- In N.I. BFD offers companionship and encouragement to people with disabilities: our volunteers visit them at home, and aim to build lasting friendships. We also organise entertainment at care homes as well as social events and group outings. Such activities enhance the quality of life and social integration of disabled people who otherwise often
experience isolation and loneliness. - As a Christian charity we try to meet the spiritual needs of our disabled friends as well as their emotional and practical needs. We offer spiritual counsel to all, but are aware that some may not wish to pursue this; we respect the right of choice of the individual. We are aware that many disabled people would love to exercise their right to worship freely, but are unable to do so because of the logistical problems involved in getting to church. Where requested, BFD will organise links between disabled people and their local place of worship, facilitating their integration into the community. - In Kenya, BFD supports the Metropolitan Sanctuary, Nyeri, a clinic for disabled children providing FREE therapy/medicine/orthotics/prosthetics to disabled children. We employ a team of qualified occupational & physical therapists, and a nurse & doctor also give treatment at the clinic every week. - The Sanctuary runs a Day Care centre providing care for disabled children & respite for their carers. Often such children would be left at home alone while their carers go to work. There is a Rescue Centre providing 24/7 care for a small number of children unable to live at home because of abuse or neglect. - The Sanctuary runs the SanctuaryArtists workshop which employs some mothers of disabled children who attend the clinic. They make postural control chairs from cardboard & biomaterial. Each chair is tailor-made for the child, allowing them to sit unassisted, giving them dignity and the chance for social interaction as well as providing multiple benefits to health & wellbeing.
The charity’s classifications
- The prevention or relief of poverty
- The advancement of religion
- The advancement of health or the saving of lives
- The advancement of human rights, conflict resolution or reconciliation or the promotion of religious or racial harmony or equality and diversity
- The relief of those in need by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage
Who the charity helps
- General public
- Learning disabilities
- Overseas/developing countries
- Physical disabilities
- Sensory disabilities
How the charity works
- Human rights/equality
- Medical/health/sickness
- Overseas aid/famine relief
- Relief of poverty
- Religious activities
Charitable purposes
To support, help and provide medical, financial and social assistance to sick/disabled children, their families and wider support network; The advancement of religion through the promotion of the Christian faith; The advancement of education through training children and their families in respect of health and social care, and farming and agricultural techniques; and The relief of poverty through assisting and empowering local communities including the provision of employment schemes and workshops.