The Epicentre and MFI Foundation gives hope to women and mothers of children with disabilities

The Epicentre, a special needs educational facility in partnership with Mathilda Flow Inclusion Foundation (MFI) is giving hope to women and mothers of children with disabilities by empowering them financially

The two organizations under a project dubbed: Knitting of hats and mittens, identify parents of children with disabilities or young adults with autism and other developmental disabilities to train in knitting techniques.

Selected participants are trained by the MFI Foundation, a programme that employs women and mothers of children with disability to create fashion, with a transitional employment programme which pays living wages and generates meaningful work.

Mrs Joyce Ankrah, Co-Founder of Epicentre in a conversation with the Special Mothers Project said that she encounters mothers of children with disabilities who want to place their children in school but genuinely do not have the financial resources to support them.

The Special Mothers Project is an advocacy and awareness creation programme on cerebral palsy issues, the project uses the media to advocate with the aim of enhancing the lives of families raising children with cerebral palsy

Mrs Ankrah said “The Knitting of hats and mittens programme specifically targets mothers who want to their children with disabilities to come to the Epicentre but are unable to do it due to financial restraints.” 

The Epicentre is a non-profit organization launched in 2013 to provide education and therapy services to children with developmental disabilities.

The school offers a flexible curriculum tailored to the need of the individual as well as offering respite services which enables parents to drop off their children in the school on Monday and pick them up on Friday.

Mrs Ankrah said the Epicentre has spacious classrooms with small class sizes, a physical therapy unit, a modern kitchen, all the rooms have enclosed toilet and bathroom facilities, an outdoor sports court and it is fully accessible to children using wheelchairs and other mobility devices.

She said many parents get frustrated finding an appropriate educational facility for their children with disabilities, hence the Epicentre also has two branches in Accra,  Gbawe, which is the main branch and Labone another branch which provides day care services

Mrs Ankrah said her organization will be happy to host volunteer play or music therapist, physiotherapist, speech therapist, special needs teachers and arts or creative teachers to further enhance their work

With God Cerebral Palsy Centre reopens

The With God Cerebral Palsy Ghana Centre, a facility that provides day care services to children with cerebral palsy and other disabilities has reopened.

The centre closed down temporarily last year due to a few  unforseen challenges, however, Mrs Ellen Affam-Dadzie, Executive Director of the centre said the challenges has been resolved and the centre is now fully operational

Mrs Affam- Dadzie has also started a degree programme in Community based rehabilitation and disability studies at the University of Education, Winneba to acquaint herself with current knowledge to be able to serve the disability community better.

She said “being a mother of a child with cerebral palsy myself, I knew at first hand the challenges associated with raising a child with cerebral palsy in Ghana. I know how parents struggle to find safe places and environments to keep their children in order for them to work.”

The centre initially provided day and boarding facilities to children with disabilities but now provides only day care services, Mrs Affam-Dadzie said

She said providing this facility to serve the children with disabilities goes a long way to enhance the lives of families raising children with special needs.

She said her major challenge has been the ability to employ and maintain qualified staff and appealed to professionals already working in Ghana to volunteer in her facility where possible

The Blend group mingles with CP children on Good Friday

The Blend Group, a social media group made of up military personnel and civilians on Good Friday spent time at the Special Mothers Inclusive Centre mingling with children with cerebral palsy and their parents

The group also donated assorted items, including detergents, diapers, learning materials, drinks and some toiletries to the children as their token to show love to the children and their families

Madam Adom Adwoa Addo, Leader of the Blend Group said the group represents peace, unity and love and aims at bringing happiness  to mankind, the more reason we are a mix of service personnel and civilians, “and we blend with love”

Members of the group interacted with the parents and primary care givers of the children with cerebral palsy, asking lots of questions about the condition.

Cerebral palsy is a neurological condition (brain injury) that affects movement and sometimes speech of people. It is the number cause of disability in children.

The Special Mothers Inclusive Centre was born out of the Special Mothers Project, an advocacy and awareness creation programme on cerebral palsy issues to promote inclusion in Ghana.

The Centre serves as a stop gap place for families desperately needing short term care for their children.

Mrs Hannah Awadzi, Founder and Executive Director of the Special Mothers Project and the Special Mothers Inclusive Centre said the centre was born out of her frustrations to find a school for her child with cerebral palsy.

She said, many parents especially mothers of children with cerebral palsy are forced out of job because of the lack of facilities that accepts and caters for children with cerebral palsy.

Majority of children with cerebral palsy in Ghana are rejected or refused admission into basic schools because of their condition.

Mrs Awadzi called on the society to accept and embrace children with cerebral palsy to help enhance the lives of families raising children with cerebral palsy