24 September 2007
Lagos — Chukwudi Obi participated in the activities marking this year's edition of the annual Down Syndrome Association week and reports on latest developments concerning the ailment.
A drama involving one of the Down Syndrome students was played out at the occasion of the just concluded annual Down Syndrome Association week at the association's resource centre, in Surulere, Lagos.
It involved a female student called Awele who in the course of the programme brought out her eye pencil and lipstick and started working on her lips and eye lashes meticulously unmindful of the numerous eyes staring at her from within and outside the place.
Ask Awele how she feels and how she is faring and she answers you exiberanting.
"I thank God for my mummy, daddy, sister and B.J".
She is one of students at the Down Syndrome Association of Nigeria, SDNA resource centre, Surulere, Lagos.
The resource centre houses over 20 children who have Down syndrome and some others with other types of learning disabilities.
According to National President Down Syndrome Association of Nigeria, Mrs. Rose Mordi the Syndrome is a genetic condition involving an extra chromosome, which occurs around about the time of conception.
In her words: "A person with down syndrome has forty -seven chromosomes instead of the usual forty-six. People with Down Syndrome all have a certain degree of learning disability. This means that they develop and learn more slowly than other children."
Mrs. Mordi noted that all hope is not host as Down Syndrome children will walk, talk, read and write and look forward to living a semi-independent adult life.
She highlighted that over 300,000 Nigerian children have down syndrome.
Breaking the statistics down, she said that for every 1,000 children, one has Down syndrome adding that maternal age is a crucial factor in having children with down syndrome.
While stating that the condition cannot be prevented, Mrs. Mordi advocated for early intervention services medically, physically and socially even as she observed that some of them have died owning to inadequate or lack of medical facilities and personnel.
Continuing, dark complexioned Mrs. Mordi averred that most of children who have Down syndrome are pre-disposed to some medical conditions.
Her words: "Most of the children who have Down Syndrome are predisposed to some medical conditions. However there are no facilities to take care of their peculiar medical needs because of the society's negative attitude and neglect. The society is not helping in integrating them back.
"We can no longer carry on as if it does not matter that the challenged in our society are not only relegated and stigmatized; but abused and denied their constitutional rights, which they are entitled, like all other members of the society. We now need to dispense with the toga of aloofness, indifference or cold conspiracy and adopt a positive attitude of empathy care and advocacy for the rights and dignity of people who, through no fault of theirs, are born with some form of physical or mental challenges".
She observed that God has not made in creation noting that in every of His creations is embedded huge talents and potentials.
It was on this premise that Mrs. Mordi alongside other like-minded established an early medical, educational Vocational and social intervention Resource centre, the first in West Africa on September 4, 2001.
An affiliate of Down Syndrome Association of United Kingdom, the association works to provide support, information, advise and counseling to people with down syndrome, their parents or guardians and those with professional interest.
A leaflet on Down Syndrome Association posits that it strives to change negative perceptions about Down syndrome by highlighting the potential that the people have to live fulfilling lives and to make useful contribution to their communities.
Six years down the line, a parent of a child with Down Syndrome Mr. Dipo Alabi who has been with the association all along believes that through some success have been recorded, more needs to be done to support the children.
According to him, transportation, logistics and accommodation are the major challenges the children are facing.
He highlighted that since the resource centre is the only one in Lagos, Many parents find it very difficult to transport their children to and from the place. Disclosing that a large expanse of land has been made available to build a very big resource centre and dormitory Mr. Alabi told Daily Champion that they lack resources to put the structures in place.
He called on well-meaning individuals corporate bodies and government to come to their aid.
On the benefits of the facilities when completed, the parent stated that it will help expose the children to many vocational skills apart from discovering their talents.
Painting a clearer picture of the challenges facing the association, the national president of the association, Mrs. Mordi, DSAN, listed inadequate physical structures, resources medial facilities.
"We are constrained by functional facilities for the specific needs of people with Down syndrome. It is therefore imperative that as stakeholders that we have the proper structures on ground to achieve our aims and objectives.
"As part of the readiness to take on the great task ahead to make our aims a reality our association intends to undertake the following projects: a new resource centre, medical intervention facilities, overseas urgent heart surgery for Down Syndrome children with serious congenital heart disorders, shuttle buses for recreational and administrative purposes and local and overseas training for volunteers and interested personnel.
"We cannot over-emphasize the urgent need to attend to these requirements to enable our association carry out early intervention in order to empower people with Down Syndrome to react their full potential," she said.
On their success, Mordi posited that some children have been sent to India for collective heart surgery and that they have moved from one bedroom to a two-bedroom flat.
Mrs. Nyambi is an executive member of the association stated that her determination to contribute her quoted to ensure that the association lives up its expectations led her into a.
Research on Down Syndrome and at the and wrote a book which she said all the proceeds from the launch of the book will go to the association.
The book, she said is in the memory of her late daughter, Mildred, who had Down Syndrome and for the benefit of the public.
In her remarks, she urged parents who have children with Down Syndrome to encourage them from the start to discover and fulfill their potentials.
"We need to help these children, you never can tell what they will become in future. Most of the are able than that most people who are normal. Some of them are blind lawyers, musicians and so on.We all need to contribute our quota to help the children, Awele Mordi Mordi wants to be a singer and she did not fail to thrill both newsmen and other quests at the resource centre with some Christian songs."
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