In 2016, nurse practitioner Mary Sobralske went on a medical mission to Kopanga in Western Kenya with a Spokane called Non-Profit Partnering for Progress, P4P. The wife of the village's clinical officer (Kenya's version of a village doctor) Faith Oranga, had a personal goal to start a school for deaf children. As a teacher with her master's degree in deaf children's instruction founding a school for deaf children was her dream. Deaf children in Kenya do not receive a typical education leaving them without an opportunity to learn how to read, write, and communicate. Mary was moved by Faith Oranga vision that she decided to give her money to get started.

 

Today the school is operating on a shoestring. P4P has given the school a water tank and a water filtering system but they cannot give any more. The school is mostly subsidized by Mary's donations over the last 3 years. The children live at the school so that they are immersed in communication and many of them are orphans. If they do have a home, they return to their families during school breaks. Otherwise, the students stay at the school year-round being fed and clothed. 

The school has been very successful over the last 3 years. The children score well on their exams and two of the boys have been at the school since its opening. The children are healthy and very motivated to learn. Below are the goals of the Lorena School:

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• To educate hearing-impaired children to be successful students

• Give hearing-impaired children the opportunity to learn life skills about hygiene, health, cooking, and how to care for others

• Provide opportunities for hearing-impaired children to interact with normal people of varying age levels in order to better their lives

• Work to change cultural assumptions and stereotypes about the deaf through building relationships and friendships

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In September, Mary took about 80 donated textbooks which made the children very happy. They have built a little library in the school to house the books. While the donation of textbooks is appreciated, the school needs monetary donations to provide food, clothes, restrooms, and other necessities for the school to operate. Please consider making a huge impact in the school through a single donation or by donating to a specific project.