Cheshire Homes Kabulonga is a Self-funded Charitable Residential School for Disabled Children.
Currently, The Home provides medical rehabilitation to children with physical disabilities leading to locomotor problems. It has been in operation since 1973 and was the first home to be opened in Zambia. The aim of the Home is to offer functional rehabilitation to children with different disabilities in education and self-dependent survival skills.
The Home currently has 25 children in the age range of 5 years old up to 14 years old who receive schooling and physiotherapy at the home. Common conditions found in the children at the Home are: Cerebral palsy, Talipes, Post Polio Paralysis, Amputation, Osteogenesis Imperfecta and Muscular Dystrophy. Whilst at the Home, children attend the residential school, which follow the standard Zambian primary school curriculum. The Home is a boarding school, and boys and girls are accommodated there with separate dormitories.
The Home also provides the following services:
The Home supports severely handicapped children and provides a retreat where such children can develop their awareness in a supportive and welcoming environment.
These children have challenging physical disabilities, and/or suffer from extreme conditions such as cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis; many are wheelchair-bound. Yet encouraged by the staff at Cheshire Homes, they can learn how to cope with their disabilities and make progress in education and self-support.
No formal government or other support is provided to run the home, and there is a total reliance on fundraising and donations it is always a struggle to meet ongoing commitments, not only in respect to current activities but also to expand and widen our support to a growing number of disabled children. Most of the children admitted are from very poor families and cannot afford to contribute to the upkeep of the children when they are at the Home.
The management committee of the Home works on a voluntary basis and all cash and material donated will go directly to supporting the activities of the Home.