In a significant step towards creating access to quality care and holistic development for children with disabilities, an American public health nurse, Mandie Case, has established Ghana’s first-ever daycare centre for children with disabilities, located at Dodowa in the Shai-Osudoku District of the Greater Accra Region.
The centre, named Adom Fie (Grace House), launched through Mandie’s NGO, Africa Youth Rising, offers a crucial resource to families struggling to navigate the unique challenges of raising children with disabilities, providing a safe and supportive environment for both children and parents free of charge.
Adom Fie, offers a range of services including daily healthcare, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy, helping to improve the children’s physical and cognitive development. The children are also given free meals and snacks daily.
The center, which began operating six months ago, currently serves twelve children: nine with cerebral palsy, one with Down syndrome, and two with autism. It employs a full-time nurse, a nutritionist, two occupational therapists, caregivers, and other professionals.
Building on its services, Africa Youth Rising is establishing an on-site pharmacy at Adom Fie, expected to open in few weeks, which will provide essential medications to the children and the broader community. This addition will significantly enhance the centre’s ability to provide comprehensive care, while generating income to support the running of the facility.
In addition to the daycare centre, Africa Youth Rising, through its donor partners, provides assistive devices to the children and sponsors the education of youth with disabilities in some special schools in the country. Five young people with disabilities are currently on scholarship at Battor in the North Tongue District of the Volta Region, with one scholarship recipient in the Eastern Region.
The impact of Adom Fie is already evident in the lives of families in Dodowa.
Mr. Ebenezer Annan, father of a boy with cerebral palsy shared his story with DisabilityNewsGH.com, describing the burden lifted from his family since Adom Fie opened.
“My wife works with an organisation while I do my own business. Before Adom Fie, I drove around town delivering goods to clients with my son by my side. It was challenging and stressful juggling his care with my business responsibilities.”
“But now, I simply drop him off at Adom Fie in the morning and pick him up in the evening, knowing he’s receiving the care and support he needs. Consequently, my wife and I have seen a huge difference; we’re significantly less stressed”.
Madam Rejoice Gawu, mother of another boy with cerebral palsy, echoed similar sentiments, “Going for checkups and therapy twice a week at the District Hospital was draining our finances in addition to the stress of managing his difficult condition together with our jobs. But Adom Fie has now taken that burden on us.”
She attested to the remarkable progress her son has made since attending Adom Fie. “The first day I saw him sitting on his own, I thought it was a miracle, because I couldn’t believe or picture my son sitting on his own, but now he is sitting. I am so excited for the development I have seen so far,” she shared.
A 13-year-old boy, previously declared unable to walk by doctors and constantly carried by his mother, has also begun walking since enrolling at Adom Fie. These stories of hope and progress highlight the critical need for such facilities.
The success of Adom Fie underscores the need for more support and resources to expand its reach and help even more families. The centre requires urgent financial, infrastructure, and staffing support to better serve the community.
Madam Mandie Case called on the public, NGOs, government agencies, and corporate entities to partner with Africa Youth Rising to expand the centre’s reach and impact the lives of marginalised communities in Ghana.
She also advocated for greater awareness and understanding around families of children with disabilities, urging the public to combat stigma and discrimination.
“We need community support to help these families provide the best care for their children, enabling them to develop into productive members of society,” she said.
The lack of childcare facilities for children with disabilities in Ghana is a glaring issue. While Section 31 of Ghana’s Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715) mandates the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection to establish and support such facilities, this provision, like many others in the Act, has not been implemented.
The absence of these facilities has compounded the challenges faced by parents of children with disabilities, particularly women, many of whom are forced to leave their jobs or limit their business activities to care for their children.
The situation highlights the need for urgent government action and the critical role of organisations like Africa Youth Rising in bridging this gap.
Africa Youth Rising is a US and Ghana-based non-profit organisation, dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty and creating lasting change for young people and their families.
A key part of Africa Youth Rising’s mission is their innovative daycare centre, which empowers mothers of disabled children by giving them the opportunity to seek gainful employment while their children are provided quality care. By providing this vital service, the daycare centre is actively helping to break the cycle of poverty and abandonment that often affects families with disabled children.
Adom Fie can be reached on +233 (0) 552-413 821 or emal: info@africayouthrising.org.
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SOURCE: DisabilityNewsGH.com