Kenya Association For The Welfare Of People With Epilepsy (kawe)

The Kenya Association for the Welfare of People with Epilepsy [KAWE] is a non-profit making organization that comprehensively targets and addresses issues of people with Epilepsy. Through a community participatory approach, KAWE is committed to addressing the needs of people living with epilepsy in a holistic and integrated manner. KAWE was established in Nairobi, Kenya in 1982 by Mrs. Caroline Pickering following an interest developed after her daughter was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 12. Due to lack of adequate and social support, she decided to start a program on epilepsy and support those people who lived in the slums, could not afford treatment and were characterized with uncontrolled fits. With close collaboration of Dr. Osman Miyanji and the then director of Aga Khan Hospital and Community Health Workers, KAWE started its first clinic in Mathare slum. Mrs. Pickering was later joined by Dr. Nelly Dekker, a volunteer doctor who managed the provision of medical and clinic support program.