Special Mothers Project Annual report 2024

 Deepened Collaboration

The Special Mothers Project became an affiliate member to the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD) at the end of the year 2023, deepening our collaboration with other disabled peoples’ organisation.

This affiliation was beneficial to the project, the Special Needs parenting community accessed information on opportunities within the Disability community.

Some of our Special needs Mothers participated in training programmes and workshops to build their capacity in advocacy.

The Special Mothers Project continues to serve as a hub of information on Cerebral palsy issues and issues affecting families raising children with Cerebral palsy and other disabilities.

Media activities

The project highlighted some issues affecting families of children with various disabilities using the media and social media to create awareness and solicit empathy with the aim of influencing policies that will enhance the lives of families of Special needs children

The Special Mothers Project continued to support some parents with handouts and foodstuff throughout the year.

The handouts are usually donations from people who admire the work we do.

Donations

In 2024, the Special Mothers Project received two major donations. 

Dr Mabel Oti-Boadi donated lots of items including foodstuff to mark her birthday.

Red Devils Ghana also donated items during the football off season

Newsletter

The Special Mothers Project introduced a newsletter.  The newsletter will be a quarterly one that shares our programmes and activities.  The newsletter will also feature guest activities that aligns with our vision.

World CP Day 2024

World CP Day: The Special Mothers Project used our social media platforms to create awareness during World CP Day.  We are glad that some of our pictures got featured on the World CP Day social media platforms.

Election Activities

2024 was an election year and the Special Mothers Project joined the GFD to interact with the two major political parties in Ghana.

The Special Mothers Project also sent policy suggestions to the two major political parties in Ghana.

 

Meeting with Mrs Alma Prempeh

Meeting with Mrs Alma Prempeh: - The Special Mothers Project had a meeting with Mrs Alma Prempeh, wife of Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, running mate to the NPP's Dr Bawumia.

Mrs Prempeh donated cloths, hair dryers, sewing machines and cash to support the Mothers’ go into micro businesses.

Partnership with Rotary Club Accra Teshie-Nungua

The Special Mothers Project is Partnering with the Rotary Club of Accra-Teshie-Nungua for a project intended to support three organisations that support persons with Cerebral Palsy and mental health.

The club donated two wheelchairs, one adult wheelchair and one wheelchair suitable for children to the Special Mothers Project. The project has since given the wheelchairs out to members who needed it.

Giving back to society

The Special Mothers Project crowned the year's activities  with a give back activity to a mother who reached out to us. The beneficiary, Agatha Gyanoa, a 54 year old mother of six children. Her last two children aged 13 and 10 years old, both girls live with severe Cerebral Palsy.

Agatha used to trade in second hand clothing but due to the condition of her two children, she can no longer trade, she has no one to support her.

Her husband abandoned her after her last two children were born and went to marry another woman.

Agatha says that sometimes what to eat is even a challenge. She was ejected by her landlord when she had her last two children and she lives very far from town, a place called Obaakrowo, around Ashalagya in the Greater Accra region.

The Special Mothers Project donated  a big bag of rice, a gallon of oil and some tin tomatoes.

The Special Mothers Project also donated 2000 cedis cash to her to use as a seed capital to start trading in something of her choice.

Agatha says she will start petty trading in soap with the money.

Agatha also gets to benefit from our counseling and empowerment programme.

There is more we can do to help Agatha, they sleep on the bare floor, they need some mattresses, and a few other stuff

Way Forward

For the coming year, the Special Mothers Project will focus on parents’ empowerment and training.

The Special Mothers Project will therefore launch a programme dubbed: " Life beyond diagnosis " to support parents to create a self development plan.

The Life beyond diagnosis programme will use coaching, mentoring and counselling to empower the parents.

Continued Advocacy

The Special Mothers Project will continue with advocacy on issues affecting children with cerebral palsy and other disabilities and issues affecting families raising children with disabilities in general. The project will continue to talk about access to quality and inclusive healthcare, Inclusive Education issues, setting up modern rehabilitation centres where parents whose children are unable to access the educational system can drop them off and pick them up by close of day, caregiver programmes and training of caregivers among others.

The project will be glad to have a constituent radio or TV programme to create awareness and educate the public on such issues

Collaboration and partnership

 The Special Mothers Project is open to collaboration and partnership with organisations pursuing similar initiatives and organisations that believes in our mission to support and enhance the lives of families of children with Cerebral palsy and other disabilities

Our Advocacy in the coming year will focus on getting government to make laws and policies that supports parent caregivers to thrive and live an enhanced life.

The Special Mothers Project continues to serve as a resource for researchers working in the area of Special needs children and mental health issues.

Financial Report

Our Financial Report for the year 2024 will be submitted to our auditors in January 2025. The Audited financial report will be published on our website specialmothers.org

Accepting Donations

The Special Mothers Project now accept donations to facilitate the work: all donations can be sent to

Special Mothers Project

ADB Ring Road Branch

Account number: 1011010126145301

Or Mobile Money number: 0244547980

GFD urged to intensify advocacy on the inclusion of Special needs parents in policies and laws

Parents of children with disabilities indirectly experience discrimination, exclusion abuse and stigma just as persons with disabilities

 

Mrs Hannah Awadzi, Executive Director of the Special Mothers Project, an advocacy and awareness creation programme on Cerebral palsy issues has therefore called on the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD) to intensify advocacy on the inclusion of Special needs parents in policies and laws.

 

She made the call at workshop organised by the GFD to build the capacity of the advocacy committee on the National Development Planning Commission four-year development plan.

 

The workshop explored how the NDPC's development plan aligned with disability inclusion goals, the Inclusive Education Policy and other issues.

 

Mrs Awadzi said, there are no policies to support parents of children with disabilities in Ghana, yet the parents’ well-being is directly linked to the well-being of the child with disability.

 

"Parents experience exclusion, discrimination, stigma and abuse because of their children and there are no policies to protect them, " Special needs parents are indirectly disabled" She added.

 

Mr Porekuu Peter Francis Xavier, Principal Planning Analyst at the NDPC who took participants through the development planning process advised the GFD to work towards mainstreaming their issues in the development process right from the District Assemblies.

 

He said the NDPC was particular about human capital development strategies which focused mainly on investing in human beings.

 

He said the development Planning process encouraged Special interests’ groups to submit their needs to the district Assemblies and nominate representatives to be part of the planning committees.

 

Mr Abdul Wahab Adams, Programme Officer at the GFD said the organisation was moving towards engaging in results-based advocacy and urged members of the advocacy committee to build their capacity towards that.

I want to be the person who advocates for the vulnerable and voiceless – Mrs Prempeh

 

Mrs Alma Prempeh, wife of the NPP's running mate, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh has committed to become an advocate for the vulnerable and voiceless in society

She said" I want to be the person who advocates for the vulnerable and voiceless in our society"

Mrs Prempeh made the commitment when she met members of the Special Mothers Project, an advocacy and awareness creation programme on Cerebral palsy issues and issues affecting families raising children with disabilities

She said the NPP was committed to the welfare of people especially the vulnerable including mothers of children with disabilities in Ghana.

Explaining the policies of the party to about 150 mothers of children with Cerebral palsy and other disabilities, Mrs Prempeh said, "I am here for a reason, I am here to help parents like you live the life you deserve "

"Everyone deserves a financially independent life," she added.

She advised the parents that they shouldn't feel ashamed of their children

Mrs Prempeh said, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice President and the flagbearer of the NPP was coming with good intentions  and urged the Special Needs parents community to vote massively for him to enable him bring his good intentions to fruition

Mrs Prempeh supported by some executives of the NPP donated sewing machines, hair dryers. Gas stoves, cloth and some money to support the parents go into income generating ventures.

Mrs Hannah Awadzi, Executive Director of the Special Mothers Project expressed her appreciation to the NPP for opening their gates to listen to the concerns of Special needs parents.

She urged them to involve parents in policy formulation to ensure that their needs were met.

Mrs Awadzi also urged the NPP to pay attention to the Caregiver industry and create programmes that will support Special needs parents with caregivers even at the household level.