Provide support to vulnerable autistic children

Due to the lack of data and national survey on autism, there is no officially statistics on autism spectrum disorder person in Sierra Leone. Therefore,  we take record of any autistic children that come to our school, whether admitted or not. 

 However, we have huge number of autistic children living in our communities, without medical care or paying attention to this children. Parent have no idea with sure condition and this situation has been related to witchcraft, demonic possess and infidelity from the woman side.

For too long autistic children have neglected in society.   

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a common disorder, affecting 1 in 54 U.S. children per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Common or not.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1% of the world’s population has autism spectrum disorder – over 75,000,000 people. That may be a large number, but autism spectrum disorder (ASD) features a wide range of symptoms and levels of severity. It doesn’t present in every child the same way.

We provide support to vulnerable autistic children in Sierra Leone, We have open a school for autistic children in sierra Leone. 

We also encourage early diagnose and treatment. Therefore we are partnering with the Sierra Leone psychiatric Teaching Hospital, under the child and adolescent unit, for early treatment and diagnose to identify the type of autism. 

 We are raising awareness on autism spectrum disorder in Sierra Leone by using community engagement, radio talk show, TV shows and social media, to change the negative narrative on autism spectrum disorder that have  engulf  the society. Autism have been associated with  witchcraft, demonic possesses and infidelity not a medical condition. Therefore people have been seeking spiritual means to cure their children either going to church for prayers or native doctors. 

However, we are creating the platform to raising awareness on autism spectrum by empowering them with education and technical skills that will change the negative narrative, that autistic children can be better and useful people in the society. 

Autistic children:

Autism spectrum disorder is a neurological and developmental disorder that affects how people interact with others, communicate, learn, and behave. Serving vulnerable autistic children in children in Sierra Leone, age 4 to 18 years old. 

For too long autistic children have been neglected in our society, due to lack of knowledge on autism, the condition has been associated to demonic possess, witchcraft and infidelity for the women side.

Regular schools have been rejecting them, because our school curriculum don't provide space for sure children and teachers lacks the knowledge on how to handle sure children, therefore they lack the patience to nurture them, also bullying, provocation and discrimination in school for their schoolmate.      

Also husbands leave there wives with the children, making the wife a single parent with no support from the husband, most of our pupils are raise by their mother, which make them to live in abject poverty. With no medical assistant, no early diagnose and no proper care, giving birth to an autistic child will take the rest of your time and energy.

By us open a school mainly for autistic children, we carter for their well been by providing medical assistance and encourage their parent to go for early diagnoses. We teach them how to care for themselves (hygiene), how to read and write, suit into the academic world for those who can comprehend.

Our services is free due to their vulnerability we also provide free lunch for them.      

We have the passion and we are connected to autistic children that we lovely so dearly, some of my staffs have autistic children that going to the school.

My team has the will power and the compassion to help these children live  a better life. Therefore, we are willing to learn more about autism. We have change the participative of autism in our community since the open of the autistic school, we have engage stakeholders, pastors, imams, councilor and youth leaders to help us disseminate the message that autistic children are not demon possess neither witchcraft it is a medical condition, therefore we need to treat them with dignity and respect.

What we do to understand their needs.

We held a meeting with their parent and discuss their children various needs and behaviors. We seek advices from medical personal. 

HOW WE ARE ENGAGING THEM:

We have open a school mainly for autistic children, we learning take place and provide medical assistant to them.

Before open the school I seek consent from the community stakeholders and ask for their blesses and moral support. They were please to here sure ideas    

The technical challenges we are face are training of staffs to familiars with the treatment and the care for autistic children.

Changing the mind set of people about autism, that autism is a medical condition not a witchcraft and demon possess.

Since we are an individual entity, we lack the financial support to grow our organization, support for more children and  the establishment of more school.   

We hope to partner with other organization and the government, this will provide technical assistance and financial support to the organization. 

We are planning to engage into business, business like purchase a vehicles this vehicles will be use as means of transportation, This will  provide more fund to the running of the organization.    

Because it carter mainly for autistic children in Sierra Leone, it provide aids to the development of autistic children in Sierra Leone.

It serve as a catalytic to improved the life of children with autism in Sierra Leone.

Yes, the school has create a positive impact to the life of this children, by them gathering together, it has also create  impact to the life the parent by reducing their stress, that they not alone  in this, they should keep fighting rather giving up on their child. the children are comprehending gradually. We are also changing the negative narrative about autism.

To change the negative narrative on autism. 

Encourage parents to go for early diagnose, if notice any of the fallowing signs restless, poor appetite, sleepless and other related signs.

. Early treatment will reduce the reaction, even though is not curable but a child can be better with early treatment.

Encourage children to come to school and train to be people of value in the society. like doctors, geologist, bankers, lawyers etc

Teachers to be punctual in school and classroom and teach the children effectively. 

GOAL; is divided into two short term and long term plan.

short plan for those who cannot comprehend academically will be great help with their social skills.

Long term plan is for those who can comprehend academically will be transfer to a regular school, were we monitor every day.

Good health and well-being: We are encouraging parent to reframe for the old ideas that autistic are demon possess or witchcraft and this children are not well taking care of, due to the old perspective this children have been  taking to native doctors for cure which will result to nothing and also affect the health of this children. 

Therefore by raising awareness and stand up for autistic in the society help help this children live a happy and caring life, away from provocation and neglect.

QUALITY EDUCATION: by empower them with life skills and academic education will help this children to live an independent life when they become adult.

REDUCE INEQUALITIES: the discrimination, provocation, bullying and academic stress in regular school against autism is causing  more depression to children with autism. therefore we open an autistics that carter for mainly for autistic children will allow them to learn in their own space without an academic pursue. Since they are all children of the same predicament, they place come to school every day.

ACTIVITIES: Provide support to autistic children, by teaching, raise awareness on autism and encourage early diagnose and treatment. Social event.

SHORT TERM PLAN: Those who cannot comprehend academically, will be encourage to learn life skills that will make to live a independent life.

SHORT TERM OUTCOME: Decreases  anti-social behavior, increases interaction and improved in social skills.  

LONG TERM PLAN: Those who can comprehend academically will be transfer to a regular school, whilst we have case manager who will me monitor the activities of the children in their various schools of allocation.

LONG TERM OUTCOME: Improved social skills, better relationship with colleague, having a career path, have a life skill training.  

I believe AI and robotic technology can be of better use to autistic person.

to help them live a better life and independent life.   

Sierra Leone psychiatric teaching hospital, is our center of data collection, they refer pupils to us, Since they are  government workers they provide services to this children for free and also help us with data.  

To achieve diversity, equity and inclusion we have both male and female staffs, we have an enable environment for one to work. The of shear cultural values and respect everyone views and religious believes is one of our core value as Sierra Leoneans. We are a nation of various  ethic groups the organization is  base on the core values of one people, one nation. 

 We involve  community participation for advice and support.

Our pupils are both boys and girls, therefore we provide a a diversify equity and inclusion environment.

TARGET BENEFICIARIES: Vulnerable autistic children, age 4 to 18 years. 

SERVICES:  Education 

SERVICES PROVIDE : We provide support to vulnerable autistic children by teaching them, provide medical assistance and communities engage on autism spectrum.

REASONS  SUPPORTING: We support autistic children due to their vulnerability, they have be neglected in the society. They are human they deserve better in the society. We need to able to take care for themselves and be independent. 

We plan on partner with government and both national and international organization, also ask good well philanthropies to aid our organization. 

We are planning to invest, any hug financial assistant we get we plan on generating our own income from there by purchasing vehicles, we use as means of transportation. We will also involve into diverts business that will create jobs for our adult autism pupils.     

PLAN ON ACHIEVING FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY:

.Partnering with national and international organization

.Collaborate with government for financial support, like the ministry of social welfare, gender and children affairs and ministry of basic education.

.By staging a program inviting government personal, by community stakeholders and philanthropy. 

. Create a go fund my account were people will donate.  

-We financially support the organization by contributing among ourselves, we also get support from family members and friends. 

-Ministry of social welfare donate a bags of rice to our school.

-Free medication from the Sierra Leone Psychiatric Teaching Hospital for the children.