Supporting Parents in Africa

Parent groups provide families with direct opportunities to be involved in their children's education. Perkins supports parent organizations in Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, St. Lucia, Tanzania, and Uganda. These groups offer opportunities for parents to share experiences and use their powerful voices for advocacy. In Africa and the Caribbean, Perkins and our partners provide training and networking activities, excursions and regional workshops for families. The excursions are unique opportunities for parents to meet and build support networks. 

National parent groups are important in helping parents understand their child's condition and abilities. They also provide a vehicle for learning about available services available and encouraging parent participation in improving local and national policies. For example:

• The national parent group in Kenya collaborates with teachers on strategies to transform national policy.
• The Arthur Blaxall School in South Africa supports teachers to reach out to new parents of young children who are blind and deafblind.

Perkins looks to increase support for national parent groups in the region, providing them with the tools to advocate for sufficient resources for teacher training programs, the development of individualized education plans for all children, and identifying children in need of services. 

Learn more about our other programs in Africa