‘A one-day sensitization workshop themed, With us not for us; the role of the community in ensuring the all-round inclusion of the special child’.
Date: 25th March 2023.
Venue: Jikwoyi Chief Palace.
Time: 9 am prompt.
This community-based sensitization approach is aimed at informing and enlightening the community on the need to embrace Inclusion at all levels. Every child is unique and endowed with specific gifts and areas of individual excellence. Resultant is that they must be accepted as they are, and completely absorbed into all facets of societal engagements regardless of their capacity or lack of. That way, growth, development, and advancement become a natural consequence.
Today, Nigeria joined the rest of the world to mark The International Day of Education. January 24 every year is set aside by the UN to throw its searchlight on Education which is a human right, a public good, and a public responsibility.
Without inclusive and equitable quality education, there won’t be measurable progress in society.
According to the UN, 244 million children and youths are out of school, and 771 million adults are illiterate. What happens to their right to education?
It would interest you to know that the theme for this year’s celebration is ‘To invest in people, prioritize education’.
So now permit me to go local. What’s the state of education in Nigeria? Is education qualitative, affordable, and inclusive? The answer to this question I believe is on your lips!
Recently, I saw something that brought tears to my eyes. Some pupils in a Government Primary School in the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria were made to roll out the drums because an NGO donated water to their school. Aren’t schools expected to have pipe-borne water? It was even more comical that their teachers dressed in Aso-ebi to celebrate their ‘big day’. See, education must be prioritized if we want to take our place in national development!!!
In conclusion, I celebrate every child, youth, and adult undergoing one level of education or the other in Nigeria.
So self-advocate Favour didn’t complain about her disability and ill-treatment from the church. Rather, she sensitized the leadership of the Anglican community. Today, she hosted me to an interview at ACNN TV (owned by the church) to speak about “Cerebral palsy” and “Down syndrome”. Hope is rising I’m me. God bless you Ms. Favour
AS Nigeria joined the rest of the world to commemorate 2022 World Cerebral Palsy Day, a nonprofit organization, Engraced Ones Prayers Support and Advocacy Initiative, EOPSAI, has called on Federal Government and Nigerians to focus attention on children with special needs.
The Convener, EOPSI, Biby Yinkere, made the call during a sensitization and awareness walk, which started from the popular Wuse Market in Abuja city-center and terminated at the ever-busy Berger Area of Abuja, and the month of October has been declared Down Syndrome Awareness Month.
This year’s theme of the Day is ‘Millions of Reasons’ while the focus is on ‘Technology that makes Lives of those living with Cerebral Palsy Better’.
In Nigeria, according to reports over 2,000 cases of Cerebral Palsy are discovered annually.
Cerebral Palsy is referred to as a group of disorders that affect muscle movement and coordination, therefore leading to vision, hearing, and sensation problems in the child.
The word cerebral has to do with the brain while palsy means weakness and inability to move the body.
