BY ROBERT WANYONYI
It has taken the youth by storm as a tool of social interaction, but social media has also proved to be a powerful tool for resources mobilisation.
It is a tool that is increasingly getting popular with the youth making politicians hunt for the youths’ votes through Facebook, Tweeter, Google Plus, and You Tube.
But a group of youth from western Kenya have chosen to use Facebook for a noble cause – to help a marginalised group.
Indeed, dozens of disabled people living in Bumula Constituency, western Kenya may not know anything about Facebook, but through this social media network, some of them now have been able to own wheelchairs and even crutches.
Noble initiative
A noble initiative by a group on Facebook calling itself the County Caucus aimed at helping disabled persons neglected by the Government and the community saw its efforts rewarded with overwhelming support.
Well-wishers responding to the group’s call on the social media put a smile on the faces of at least eight disabled persons from Bumula, a region that statistically has the largest number of persons with disabilities in Western Province.
Beneficiaries, some of who arrived at the venue of the function crawling on all fours, were full of praise for the initiative that has changed their lives.
“God has answered my prayers. This is a gift of my life. I can now be mobile without straining,” said a jovial Peter Wanyama after receiving crutches. He added: “It has not been easy and efforts to get assistance from organisations that work with people with disabilities have been futile.”
“At one time I wished that a miracle would happen and President Kibaki gives me the wheelchair he was using when he got an accident while on the campaign trail,” said Wanyama amid laughter from residents who witnessed the exercise.
“There are still many of our colleagues out there who still need support but they cannot even manage to leave their homesteads,” he noted.
