The Help Africans Charity Network and the Assigned Guardian Angel have urged the Federal Government and wealthy Nigerians to reach out to children with special needs.
The NGOs made this appeal on Wednesday at their joint outreach programme at the FCT School For Children With Special Needs, Kuje.
Mrs. Stella Udeh, the Northern Nigeria Coordinator of Help Africans Charity Network, spoke on behalf of the partnering organizations, highlighting the crucial need for support for children with special needs.
She stated that the Help Africans Charity Network is an international non-profit organization dedicated to empowering the less privileged across Africa, and Assigned Guardian Angel focuses on providing free healthcare and support to individuals with disabilities.
Mrs Udeh explained that the partnership was informed by their shared goal of uplifting the less privileged and vulnerable individuals. She added that this gesture was being replicated in other parts of the country and across the African continent.
“Assigned Guardian Angel is a registered provider of healthcare services, founded on Christian values and ethics. With over 15 years of experience in the healthcare industry, our organisation is dedicated to spreading eternal love and caring for our neighbours. We believe in the best in people and strive to make the world a better place.
“Our mission is to meet the community’s demands, provide tailored holistic services, and optimise the value of living needed to close the gap in disability health provision. We aim to achieve health equality, irrespective of any disability or diagnosis. Our vision is to support and provide individualised care services, prioritize health, and encourage consumer participation.
“We are proud to partner with Help Africans Charity Network, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people in need throughout Africa. Together, we can make a positive difference in the lives of countless individuals,” Mrs. Udeh said.
She emphasised that government agencies, individuals, and non-governmental organizations should come together to assist special needs children, stressing that the responsibility could be overbearing for their parents.
“I’m particularly concerned about the FCT School For Children With Special Needs because looking at the children you will see that they need attention and care. They need wheelchairs. Some of the wheelchairs they are currently using are no longer functioning well. I’m appealing to the government to supply them with more sophisticated wheelchairs. Some are still on crutches. They need wheelchairs.
“Some of these children here are with different kinds of special needs. Some are with down syndrome, some are autistic, some with cerebral palsy, and so on. So, I’m appealing to the government to give more attention to children with special needs. Because most times, the parents are overwhelmed. Some parents tend to hide those children from society due to stigmatisation. So, the burden falls back on the government to take care of these children and to provide for them,” she said.
Mrs. Udeh further appealed to individuals and other Non-Governmental Organizations to do their bits in assisting children with special needs, stressing that government alone can’t shoulder the responsibility.
“I’m appealing to other non-governmental organizations, individuals, religious bodies and associations to come out to support children with special needs. The burden might be much on the government but if everybody try to bring out of the little we have, it can go a long way to cater for this children. It can take away the burden from the government to a large extent. The economic condition of the country as it is, is very hard. So, if everybody can contribute a little from what they have, it will go along way in assisting the children.
“It must not be much. We have girls here, they need sanitary pads. Some of the children with cerebral palsy need cleaning agents like detergents. They need food, clothes and footwear. They need all the support that they can get. So, I’m urging other non-governmental organizations to endeavour to reach out to such schools or where you have children with special needs,” she added.
Responding on behalf of the children with special needs, a student, Racheal Saviour, thanked the Help Africans Charity Network and the Assigned Guardian Angel for the gesture. She called on other organisations to come to their aid.
Food items, toiletries and other essential needs were donated to the school by the NGOs.