A documentary on cerebral palsy in Ghana

https://youtu.be/SlL2GQ8Qti4

Stakeholders call for Inclusive Day-Care centres in communities

Participants at the end of a two day conference on cerebral palsy has called on government  to create inclusive community early childhood day care centre which will admit children with cerebral palsy

A communiqué issued at the end of the conference also urged government to enhance the human resource capacity of professionals working with persons with cerebral palsy.

The conference on the theme: “Inclusion Matters: Count in Children with Cerebral Palsy”  funded by Cerebral Palsy Africa and Liliane Foundation and facilitated by SWEB Foundation a Ghanaian based non-governmental organization assembled health professionals, educationists, government officials and parents of children with cerebral palsy.

Cerebral palsy is a neurological condition that affects movement and sometimes speech of children.

The communiqué also urged government to prioritize the early identification and intervention strategies of cerebral palsy and absorb and Community based Rehabilitation graduates to help bridge the gap between care-givers and health professionals

Participants however commended government for the adoption of the inclusive education policy and an attempt by stakeholders to implement the provision in the document.

They also commended the existence of training programmes for rehabilitation professionals like physiotherapists, occupational therapists, audiologists, and speech and language therapists among others.

The communiqué called for better collaboration between non-governmental organizations and programmes run by government.

GNLF partners Advocacy Project on Cerebral palsy

Mr Amankwah with his son who has Cerebral Palsy

Givers Never Lack Foundation (GNLF)  a foundation that solicits support for families and children with cerebral palsy has announced partnership with the Special Mothers Project, an advocacy programme on  the disorder

Mr Edward Amankwah, Founder of  GNLF made the announcement when his foundation premiered a movie on cerebral palsy to enhance the awareness campaign.

He said just soliciting support for such families and the children is not enough, we need to do something more sustainable.

“That is why we have partnered the Special Mothers Project which seems to be sphere heading the advocacy campaign,” Mr Amankwaah added.

He expressed hope that the partnership will yield good results for families and persons with cerebral palsy.

The movie titled “ My Sickness, my Love one “ centres on the need to love children with cerebral palsy to enhance their quality of life

Dr Ebenezer Badu,  a neurologist at the Korley bu Teaching Hospital, used the occasion to educate audience about cerebral palsy and urged families to seek early intervention

CP Care-giver urges government to facilitate centres for children with cerebral palsy

Mr Emmanuel Asante, Care-giver and grandfather of a five year old girl with cerebral palsy is urging government to facilitate the creation of centres for children with cerebral palsy.

A physiotherapist assessing Nhyira at home

He further called for services such as physiotherapy services and other therapy services to be extended to homes of children with cerebral palsy to enhance their quality of life.

“Children with cerebral palsy tend to get heavier as they grow and it becomes almost impossible to carry them for services such as physiotherapy in the hospitals,” Mr Asante said in an interview with the media.

Mr Asante a pensioner who is struggling to take care of her five year old grand-daughter said it was important to train parents with basic skills in physiotherapy to prevent the children from getting contractures due to care givers inability to take them for services they need.

Having centres for children with cerebral palsy for instance in every district will also enable the parents to leave their children in good hands to enable them work and earn a living.

Mr Asante said it will be absurd for him to even think of sending her granddaughter to school but having a centre for the children will give the family a lot of relief

HannahAwadzi, having a chat with Mr Asante

Recounting his journey as a primary care-giver for her granddaughter, he said “her condition put a huge strain on our finances, we use to take her for physiotherapy services at Korle-bu but as she grew older, we could no longer afford the cost.”

He explained that he always had to hire a taxi to take her in addition to the cost of the physiotherapy; we could no longer afford the drugs such as anticonvulsants.

Five year old Nhyira with cerebral palsy now needs an urgent surgery, she is deaf and blind. Mr Asante urged government to support families with children who have cerebral palsy by including them as beneficiaries of the disability funds.

He also called on the public to come to their aid and help put a smile on Nhyira’s face.

“Having a child with cerebral palsy requires a lot of finances, yet many parents and care-givers are unable to work since they have to take care of these children all the time,” he added

Cerebral palsy is a neurological disorder that affects the movement and sometimes speech of children.

Mrs Hannah Awadzi, Initiator of the Special Mothers Project, an advocacy and awareness creation programme on cerebral palsy in Ghana, said there was the need for an umbrella body that coordinated the activities of individual organizations working on cerebral palsy.

Such coordination she said will help point parents and care givers to the right services they need and will enhance the advocacy campaign.