ABC Bank takes pride in giving back to the community by working with various partners on different initiatives, one of them being The Cluster Foundation. ABC Bank and the Cluster Foundation (TCF), one of our CSR partners, have been in partnership since 2012.
The Cluster Foundation is a charity organization, established in 2008, that provides assistance and support to people with spinal cord injury commonly known as paraplegics.
Statistics by the National Transport and Safety Association in Kenya show the highest cause of these injuries is road accidents, with more than 5,000 persons said to acquire the injuries every year. According to The Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) specialists’ hospital in Kenya, 80% of discharged persons from the hospital are said to die within a period of 5yrs, the actual killer in most cases being ‘Hopelessness and loneliness’. TCF comes in to provide Recreational Therapy which focuses on helping the victims find ways to get back into the world and enjoy the activities they used to before they were injured.
The foundation seeks to create a world where, every day people create new forms of livelihood that can enable people with SCI live successfully like everyone else or even better. The organization runs several programs with the aim of raising funds to help finance the treatment of its beneficiaries, most of whom can’t afford the high cost of treatment. One of the programs includes the collection of old newspapers which are later sold to recyclers.
ABC Bank donates all its old newspapers to The Cluster Foundation. The funds generated from the sale of these newspapers have helped beneficiaries receive services from TCF at highly subsidized or no cost or as well as helped the organization meet their recurrent costs. Partners who engage in this program are referred to as “Wheel-Pals” and we are proud to be one.
The organization has been able to enrich its beneficiary’s lives through initiatives such as:
- C.E Activities (I Can Experience) – A monthly activity showcasing the resources, activities, events that are within the surrounding that would benefit people with paralysis
- O.T.E (Couples Out to Experience) – An annual event for couples who been affected
- F.E (Peer and Family Experience) – An annual event that hosts all the beneficiaries of TCF and their loved ones for a session of sharing information, experiences, inspiration and expert knowledge.
- A.T.E (Disability Accessibility Training Experience) – Teaches ways of understanding and handling people with disability in general and how to interact with them in an empowering way
Accomplishments made by TCF include:
- Through TCF 140 persons with paralysis attend the monthly ICE activities regularly since inception
- Over 10 beneficiaries have moved back to their jobs
- 6 beneficiaries have furthered their education
- 90% of the beneficiaries have overcome depression and loneliness thanks to follow-ups and group therapy
- Loved ones to the affected have been assisted to adapt
- Various organizations have been influenced to create disability friendly atmospheres and structures
- Most of the programs are free for the beneficiaries inclusive of transport and meals
Want to help the Cluster Foundation? Reach Njoki on (+254) 721 414 177
Email; theclusterfoundation@gmail.com
hello@theclusterfoundation.org
The biggest challenge met by The Cluster Foundation has been meeting the demand of people needing their services across the country, being the only organization offering Recreation Therapy in East Africa.
Through our partnership, we have seen many paraplegics benefit over the years and we endeavor to continue doing this for more years to come.