Alupe Special School is home to about 200 children living with different disabilities. They are beautiful children. Bright. Loving. Full of life. And they are surrounded by teachers and staff who give more than their job requires. They give their hearts.<br /><br />This boarding school runs on faith. Many parents can barely afford school fees. Government grants delay. Some families cannot even afford transport to visit their children, so the school has quietly become a safe place for many who have nowhere else to go. Although it was established for the hearing impaired, it now cares for children with autism, cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities, and many others who need support every single hour of the day. The staff stretch themselves thin. Management is often away knocking on doors, visiting companies and other schools, asking for food, soap, toothpaste, sanitary towels. They are constantly looking for help.<br /><br />You may wonder why those basic needs were not the first thing we appealed for as Kosi Africa. The truth is they are important, but there is something just as urgent that has been overlooked for years. The children sleep on thin, worn out mattresses. They share a single mattress. Some sleep on the floor. One bed was slanting. Others had metal wires sticking out in ways that could easily cause harm. After a full day of learning, this is where they lay their heads at night.<br /><br />Imagine being a child who already faces so much, then going to sleep in those conditions. Rest should not be a luxury. It should not be something they have to endure. They need real rest. Let us give them the kind of rest every child deserves.