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