Rachel Afundi

Kangemi, Nairobi, Kenya

Rachael is a single mother with two children and a disability who lives in Kangemi, Nairobi. Rachael has supported her family by working as a machine embroiderer for the past seventeen years, and is a vocal advocate for disability rights. Given this background, it was not surprising that she was one of the first to sign up for the Kenyan COVID Quilts project in 2021. Rachael’s powerful story shows a woman in a wheelchair who is struggling to reach a tap and wash her hands, as required by the COVID protocols. Rachael is also one of the leaders in the Kangemi Advocacy and Self Help Group, which formed in 2020 to organize embroidery training and launched a highly successful vaccination campaign in the settlement.

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Work by Rachel