A University of Stirling student has created a global platform after funding special needs education for a deaf 9-year-old girl in Kenya.
Keiti Corcoran, a 23 -year-old Criminology and Sociology student from Stirling, Scotland, has founded KeitiConnects, a platform committed to humanitarian work. The company highlights the importance of occupational therapy and raises awareness on the extreme poverty in Kenya.
Keiti’s first company trip will take place over Christmas and New Year, where she’ll be travelling back to Kenya as part of a 3-week programme consisting of 8 humanitarian projects.
Keiti said: “KeitiConnects is about empowering change and having a part in raising awareness of global issues, especially issues in Kenya. I’m growing my own community and getting lots of contacts.
“I want KeitiConnects to get bigger. With my company, I want to make people uncomfortable. I want people to spark uncomfortable conversations and get involved. It’s hard realising that you can’t help everybody, but you can help somebody. You’re never going to change everything, but what can you change?”
In June, whilst volunteering with children with special needs in Nairobi with the International Volunteer Headquarters (IVHQ), Keiti met Cynthia, a 9-year-old girl born deaf. It was Cynthia’s first week of school.
Keiti said: “In the school I worked with, there are around 50 kids with special needs and 3 teachers. I was drawn to Cynthia. I wanted to play with her and ask her questions, but she couldn’t respond.
“She had no way to express how she felt. She couldn’t communicate what she wanted or needed. She didn’t even know her own name. If she attempted to signal to her parents to ask what her name was, they would hit her, as they believed that her disability was a sin.
“I sponsored her and moved her into a boarding school. In order to get her into the school, she needed a list of 46 basic items– we were able to get her a passport, a birth certificate, etcetera. She didn’t even own a toothbrush. Cynthia had no identity on paper. Her dad had a smartphone. Her family didn’t want her to go to school. That’s when I knew I had to get involved.”
At Cynthia’s boarding school, which is run entirely by teachers who are also deaf, she receives 3 meals a day and a bed. She has also learnt Kenyan Sign Language.
KeitiConnects’ programme will be in collaboration with Acts of Compassion Foundation (AOC), a Nairobi-based charity.
Emily Anderson, Social Media Officer for AOC, said: “Keiti and our team will be collaborating with schools, childrens centres, and residential homes throughout the Kibera community. Keiti is an inspiring force.
“Through these partnerships, we aim to create sustainable solutions that empower individuals and families throughout Kenya.”
Since meeting, Keiti has raised £790 through a GoFundMe page to support Cynthia, and will be taking over 400 donated gifts and toys to the children in Kenya during her programme.
Keiti said: “My experience and founding KeitiConnects has changed everything for me. It’s shaped me as a person in terms of really understanding what other people go through.
“Volunteering in Kenya and working with Cynthia are not things that I’ve done and learnt from. This is my life now.
“My advice to anyone is to get out of your comfort zone, and educate yourself. You don’t have to like it, you just have to listen. I encourage people to volunteer, even if it’s local. How can you be an addition to the place you’re visiting?”
If you would like to learn more about Keiti and KeitiConnects’ mission, you can visit her Instagram site: https://www.instagram.com/keiticonnects/
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