From Monday, April 20, to Thursday, April 23, 2026, Jipange Special Needs Center participated in a four-day NYOTA workshop held in Saboti, Kenya. Mark Sabwami, Director of Jipange, and Phillip Khamasi, an Assistive Computer Technology Trainer, served as facilitators for the event. Drawing on their respective backgrounds in Business Leadership and Commerce, they provided essential training to young entrepreneurs aiming to launch or scale small enterprises.
The NYOTA (National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement) Project is a collaborative initiative between the Government of Kenya and the World Bank designed to combat youth unemployment. By offering business capital, vocational training, and apprenticeships to individuals aged 18 to 29—and up to 35 for those with disabilities—the program empowers participants with the seed funding and practical skills necessary to drive economic growth across the country.
The opening ceremony also served as a proud milestone for Jipange Special Needs Center alumni Dean Masika, Walter Onyango, and Charles Nandi, who were officially presented with their National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) certificates. These credentials serve as formal recognition of their success in the NITA examinations held in August 2025. By receiving these awards during the inauguration of the new building, the three graduates highlighted the center’s ongoing commitment to professional excellence and student achievement.
The Jipange Special Needs Center community is deeply grateful for the newly constructed administration block and training wing, which provides a significantly improved environment for both staff and students. This expansion is a transformative milestone for the center, as the added space allows for a more diverse and specialized curriculum. By broadening its course offerings, Jipange is now better equipped to provide personalized support that addresses the unique requirements of every blind and visually impaired trainee who walks through its doors.
The Jipange Special Needs Center community is deeply grateful for the newly constructed administration block and training wing, which provides a significantly improved environment for both staff and students. This expansion is a transformative milestone for the center, as the added space allows for a more diverse and specialized curriculum. By broadening its course offerings, Jipange is now better equipped to provide personalized support that addresses the unique requirements of every blind and visually impaired trainee who walks through its doors.
The Mastercard Foundation—founded in 2006 by Mastercard as an independent, Toronto-based philanthropic body—works to improve access to education and financial services to drive youth employment across Africa.
On April 22, 2026, the Foundation partnered with the Jiinue Growth Programme (JGP) to provide handicraft and beadwork training for blind and visually impaired women at the Jipange Special Needs Center. This effort is part of the JGP, a five-year (2022–2027) Kenyan initiative funded by the Foundation alongside various local and international partners. The program’s primary goal is to bridge the financing gap for MSMEs, with a specific focus on empowering women-led businesses and youth aged 18–35 across all 47 counties.
On January 12th, 2026, Jipange Special Needs Center proudly welcomed its 6th Cohort, consisting of 12 determined individuals. These participants, all of whom are blind or visually impaired, have journeyed from diverse rural regions across Kenya to join our community.
Over the next six months, Jipange will provide these enrollees with intensive life skills and vocational empowerment training designed to foster independence and career readiness.
Class of 2026 Participant Directory
- Markson Oleserian – Bungoma County
- Harun Chepnandi – Uasin Gishu County
- Alphas Ruto – West Pokot County
- Millicent Anyango – Kisumu County
- Gloria Ayuma – Kakamega County
- Jackline Andawa – Trans Nzoia County
- Brevin Otiende – Kakamega County
- Thaddeus Mugire – Kisii County
- Hillary Limo – Baringo County
- Faith Chemtai – Kericho County
- Eunice Khaemba – Trans Nzoia County
- Patrick Kioko – Machakos County
Our Mission is To bridge the gap for the visually impaired by providing accessible, high-quality training that transforms lives from the grassroots up.
Earlier this year, Christ Is The Answer Ministries (CITAM) Kitale visited Jipange Special Needs Center as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative. This meaningful visit provided the 6th Cohort with a day of encouragement and fellowship led by the CITAM leadership team.
The visit was marked by generous donations of clothing and food supplies, but the highlights were the shared experiences: the participants and visitors enjoyed an energetic game of Goalball together before concluding the day with a communal meal.
Highlights of the CITAM Kitale Visit
- Spiritual & Emotional Support: Leadership provided words of motivation and hope to the new enrollees.
- Material Contributions: Essential donations of food and clothing were provided to support the center’s needs.
- Inclusive Recreation: A shared game of Goalball fostered connection and showcased the athletic talents of the participants.
- Community Bonding: Sharing a meal together strengthened the ties between the ministry and the Jipange community.
Jipange Special Needs Center celebrated the official welcoming of its 6th Cohort on Saturday, March 15th, 2026. The event featured Sammy Luvonga, an associate of the center, who presided over the ceremony as the guest of honor.
Event Highlights
- Official Welcome: A formal reception for the newest group of determined learners.
- Keynote Presence: Sammy Luvonga shared insights and encouragement with the incoming participants.
- Community Spirit: The ceremony marked a significant milestone in the cohort’s journey toward empowerment and skill acquisition.
Sammy Luvonga provided immense insight on the rights for the blind and the disabled during the 2026 opening ceremony.
It is truly inspiring to witness ambitious individuals who are blind or visually impaired reframing their perspective—viewing their unique experiences as a strength rather than a limitation. By taking charge of their own destinies, these participants at Jipange Special Needs Center are eager to elevate their quality of life through essential skill-building.
In an exciting development, our participants recently benefited from a collaborative initiative between the Kenya Institute for the Blind and BookShare India. This registration drive has granted our students access to the BookShare online library, a massive digital repository. This opportunity opens doors to a vast world of knowledge through a diverse collection of eBooks tailored for their needs.
Key Highlights
- Empowerment: Students are actively reclaiming their independence and redefining disability.
- Strategic Partnership: A joint effort between local and international organizations to boost literacy.
- Digital Inclusion: Access to BookShare provides a nearly limitless library of accessible educational and leisure resources.
It was a truly rewarding moment to welcome back the Jipange Special Needs Center Alumni, who returned to inspire the current enrollees. By sharing their personal training journeys, the former students demonstrated how the center served as a vital springboard for their success. Their stories highlighted how the skills and confidence gained at Jipange have provided lasting support and opened new doors in their lives.
Alumni Engagement Impact
- Mentorship: Current participants gained firsthand perspectives from those who have successfully navigated the program.
- Success Stories: Alumni showcased the tangible, long-term benefits of the center’s life and job skills training.
- Motivation: The visit reinforced the idea that the training is a powerful foundation for a more independent and empowered future.
We had a fantastic time at Jipange during our recent exhibition. Many students were exposed to the equipment available at Jipange including the various courses offered.
We are very excited and honored to have received our 5th Cohort this year, of 10 students, who have traveled from miles away such as from Bondo, Siaya, Kapsabet, Kakamega, West Pokot just to mention a few. Classe officially began in January 2025
In partnership with The Vera Ahlemann Schoeller Foundation, Jipange Special Needs Center accorded individual knitting machines to five 2024 Jipange Special Needs Center’s Alumni, in order for them to kick start knitting enterprises in their communities.
Over the years since inception in 2020, Jipange Special Needs Center has endeavored to date to empower the marginalized rural blind people in Kenya by leveraging their potential to prepare themselves to obtain and retain sustainable job opportunities. Through this endeavor, Jipange Special Needs Center has been able to accelerate social impact by not only providing access to education and training opportunities, but by also enabling the marginalized rural blind people to acquire assistive devices that enable them to become self reliant and an effective work force in the job market. Click on the link below to get a glimpse of the events of the day.
Jipange Special Needs Center has been actively involved in advocacy work for the plight of the blind in Kenya. By participating in the 2024 White Cane Safety Day Celebrations in Trans Nzoia County, we not only created awareness about the education and training opportunities we offer at Jipange Special Needs Center, but we also were part of advocating for the rights of the visually impaired persons and the blind in Kenya. Watch the video to the end to see Mark Sabwami highlighting Jipange’s work in the community.
It was a joyous day for our beneficiaries and the visual impaired individuals in the community. Many received white canes, something they did not have. Others who had recently lost their sight, received encouragement from fellow visually impaired individuals. Many left the event convicted that blindness or visual impairment does not mean the end of life, rather it is an opportunity to accept the situation and forge forward with a positive attitude.
This is one of the ways we show our students and the world at large that disability is not inability!
In this video, Mark Sabwami along with a guide are demonstrating how the blind and the visually impaired can participate in planting seeds.
So, who says the blind can not engage in farming activities? At Jipange, we defy the odds! To underscore, the main reason Jipange exists, which is to be a catalyst towards economic independence for the visually impaired, we have officially started a farming course. What better way to take advantage of the agricultural region we are located in!
God has been good to us here at Jipange. Through Christian Life Center in Dayton, Ohio we received a donation of three computers and two braille machines. Our students couldn’t be happier! Thank you CLC.
On Monday, January 9, 2023, we welcomed our students back to the training center. We are very excited about our new forged relationship with Kibos Secondary School For The Visually Impaired (Kibos) in Kisumu, Kenya. From this relationship, we enrolled ten students and we expect this number to grow in the future. All ten enrollees are in the Assistive Computer Training class.
As a result of our new relationship with Kibos High School for the blind, it was necessary for Jipange to acquire more space to accommodate all students. This new location offers three spacious rooms where our students can sleep comfortably. We have a big class room used as the computer and braille class and another separate space that we use for knitting. The space outside is big enough for our students to relax and take a breathe of fresh air. All of this has been made possible by the generous contribution of members of the CLC international group. May God richly bless you all CLC!!
Jipange reaches new horizons. In August, 2022 Mark Sabwami (Founder), visited the United States Of America. Part of the places he visited was Christian Life Center in Dayton Ohio (CLC). Thank you CLC International Group for such a warm welcome. Everyone at Jipange is very appreciative for your support.
The year 2022 was a very productive one. Our students below show case what they have managed to learn on the course of the three months training sessions. It is quite satisfying to hear Lawrence say he never knew a blind person could knit. This is just one of the ways Jipange is preparing its students to be economically independent.
We were able to start a poultry farming venture geared towards training our beneficiaries on the need to utilize alternative farming methods. Through this venture, our beneficiaries will gain knowledge on how to use an incubator to hatch eggs. At the end of the training, beneficiaries will gain additional skills to start their own poultry farming projects as a means to earn an income and become more independent.
February of 2021, was a very exciting month at Jipange. After enduring a year long hiatus, we are finally back in operation. We welcomed back our beneficiaries with an addition to our services. This is our very first knitting class taught by a volunteer. The main objective of the class is to empower the students with the ability to earn a living through knitting.
Knitting without seeing what you are doing is not a big deal. Most blind people do things every day that sighted people can’t imagine doing without seeing. The teacher here is taking time to explain things verbally. She lets the students feel the needles and the stitches to let them understand the process. Then, she watches them put into practice what they have learnt and fine-tunes where there is a need for further understanding.
June 2020 – Despite the challenges Jipange is facing due to COVID-19, we have been working hard to create awareness of the various difficulties the blind and visually impaired are facing. As a result of this, a very generous donor made a donation of a brand new motor bike to help in our transportation needs. We at Jipange are forever grateful!
The Blind and Visually Impaired can now play SHOWDOWN………. in other words, Table Tennis!
Apart from the blind, the deaf are also facing a lot of challenges due to COVID-19. While other sighted students have access to virtual learning tools, the dead just like the blind do not.
May 2020 – In this video, Mark Sabwami – Founder of Jipange was doing advocacy work for the blind and visually impaired persons in Kitale, Trans Nzoia County through mainstream media. The translation of what he said is shown below:
It is very important to consider the plight of blind people and the deaf during this COVID-19 pandemic. Reason being, if home schooling and online learning for the disabled during this quarantine period is hampered by lack of accessibility features on eLearning platforms and television educational broadcasts, then progress of these disabled persons is impeded to a great extent. As a result, they are bound to attain very low grades in standardized examinations in comparison to sighted students. I am appealing to the Ministry of Education and the Kenyan Government to offer accessibility features on eLearning platforms and educational television broadcasts to benefit the blind and the visually impaired students as they prepare for their examinations.
Although Corona has deprive us of so many thing, we should not allow it ot deprive us of our joy. So, choose to be happy and don’t worry!!!
Lillian Achieng does not know anything about braille or anything related to rehabilitation of visually impaired individuals. She comes to Jipange just like a little preschooler would going to school for the first time. She has lived 12 years of her life in the dark and with no hope after she lost her sight. As a result, she was forced to drop out of high school and has just been sitting at home doing nothing. Her father died when she was just a little girl and her mother was too poor and uninformed to look for other resources that may be of assistance to her. The fact that they lived in a remote, rural area, made it difficult to access information regarding the availability of such things as braille, mobility training and rehabilitation. This scenario is repeated over and over in rural areas, and many blind people suffer needlessly.
Monday, January 13, 2020 – The day we welcomed our very first beneficiaries at Jipange! It was a very exciting day for everyone involved.
Jipange Empowering the Blind Event
Jipange Chant
Quite an exciting day at the Empowering The Blind Event!
On Monday, December 16, December 2019, Jipange conducted an awareness meeting at Trans Nzoia County in Kitale. The meeting was held at Kitale Youth Empowerment Hall, from 10 am to 2 pm. Invited guests ranged from target beneficiaries and volunteers who will work directly with Jipange. 35 people were in attendance. Some came from as far as Eldoret and West Pokot which is approximately 71 km from Kitale .
At the onset, invited motivational speakers set the pace by encouraging target beneficiaries by telling them they have a bright future regardless of how the community perceived them. The speakers elaborated on the need of valuing one self, the importance of self esteem and the need for the blind to better themselves through the training offered at Jipange.
The main purpose of the event was to introduce Jipange’s vision, mission and approach to the general public. The Founder, Mark Sabwami rolled out Jipange’s objective and reiterated the need of preparing blind persons especially in rural areas to be able to navigate the world around them. Target beneficiaries also had an opportunity to air their brief life histories, which entailed the cause of their blindness and the challenges they encountered after becoming blind. They discussed their expectations at Jipange.
Mark reassured beneficiaries that Jipange has taken measures to set them on a sure path to career development, entrepreneurship orientation and self reliance.
He elaborated on Jipange’s approach, which is geared towards enabling the blind to reconsider their disability as an advantage. This would be achieved by utilizing available opportunities and resources at Jipange, which are made possible by volunteers, generous donors and collaborative partners. Economic independence, bettering living standards and access to education of the rural blind people were the major key highlights of the event.
After the Founder’s speech, white canes from a donor were presented to 5 beneficiaries. A safety accessory known as a sensor was also introduced to the blind and the general public to sensitize them on the need of having such a safety feature attached on their white canes. It is a detector that alerts the blind person of an obstacle ahead as he or she moves around. Beneficiaries also were awarded promotional Jipange t-shirts that will sensitize the general public about Jipange’s activities.