So my campaign train is on DOWN Syndrome. Please don’t say the world is talking ‘End Sars’ and this woman is still talking DS. I am with you in spirit and I pray the youths will after now, join us moms and siblings to mount pressure for an environmental change in the area of special needs.
That being said, I’ll be sharing the story of a teenager. Actually, her elder brother wrote the story. Please read!
Sometimes I feel like I’m the one who is special. I feel so favored by God to be Ele’s elder brother. We prayed for her; we hoped for her. And God gave us a gift (that’s the meaning of her name).
Ele and her older brother
Personally, I’ve never perceived her as disadvantaged, only unique. God in His infinite wisdom instilled in her uncommon virtues that the so-called “regular kids” can only dream of. Ele was God’s wild card in the twist of fate that our family experienced.
She was only 5 years old when my mum passed on but she filled in the gap in a way that is nothing short of miraculous. In the midst of 3 stoic and bereaved men, Ele brought peace, warmth, and light into our hearts. Her smile, her ambiance, her selfless thoughtfulness… these were God’s intentional alternatives to a speedy cognitive development process for her.
Sometimes it’s easy to forget how young she is. Her sense of responsibility is off-the-charts. In place of carefully articulated speech, she communicates love in the most wordless yet effective ways. Perhaps God used some tissues from her frontal cerebral hemispheres to create an extra layer to her heart muscles.
I wish to appreciate specially The Engraced Ones for creating a community where even though I’m passively participatory, I feel like I’m not alone in the challenges and joys of being so closely associated with a special child. It is an experience that imaginations cannot convey. It is a blessing: it is God’s gift to us
As Nigeria celebrated its 60th birthday, remembering the sacrifices of heroes past, the Engraced One’s Prayer Support and Advocacy Initiative organized their 3rd annual Down Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy Prayer/Advocacy walk on October 3, to remind the Government and highly spirited individuals of the plights of special needs children.
The NGO was worried that as the country celebrates 60years, many children, especially special needs children are lacking assistance from the government and philanthropists in the country. The children also face rejection from society at large. World Cerebral Palsy Day is marked on the 6th of October every year, to recognize and celebrate people living with Cerebral Palsy.
We got featured on Peoples Daily
The walk themed; ‘Make your mark’, was celebrated in the streets to rub minds with Nigerian on the challenges of the children in question and to call on people to contribute their quota in assisting the special children. This year’s walk was highly memorable, as people from other states across the country joined in the campaign.
Here in Abuja; the March which took place in Jikoyi, a suburb in the nation’s capital saw people from different walks of lives, trooping out in green to add their voices to the plights of special needs children. The campaigners were also educating the general public on the need to identify and assists children with down syndrome, autism, and cerebral palsy condition.
Speaking, the Coordinator of Engraced Ones, Mrs, Bibora Yinkere expressed worry over the poor economic well-being of parents of special needs children. She said the NGO will continue to advocate for their rights to education, better care, and acceptance. “Government should absorb them and cater for their education. We need diagnostic centers for them to get the best care they need.”
She frowned at some parents who are discriminating against the children living with these conditions. The Coordinator said some of the parents don’t even have their children with special needs in the family album, “they don’t want the public to know that they have children with special needs; and as such, they can’t even take their children with special needs to school.”
She scolded these parents and reminded them that children with intellectual disabilities deserve good life like others, “they can also excel in life, all that they need is extra support from their parents”. While speaking on the rights of Special needs children, she said they have legitimate rights and needs. “They have a promising future and distinct impacts to make on their world.
Please note that the ‘United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child’ is an important agreement by countries who have promised to protect children’s rights. The ‘Convention on the Rights of the Child’ explains who children are, all their rights, and the responsibilities of governments.
As an individual with full potential, how have you made a mark?
Uchenna Madueke a 45 yrs old Cerebral Palsy survival who is an Educator with over 18yrs experience has made her mark by inspiring Children and parents with CP children. Celebrating persons with Cerebral Palsy.
