The Founders of Sedoo Initiative for children with special needs, Board of Advisors SECHILD, Launch Committee Members, Distinguished guests, our valuable gifted children, development partners, members of the press, ladies and gentlemen, it is an honor for me to extend warm greetings from The Sedoo Initiative for children with special needs.
It is with exceeding joy in my heart that I welcome you all to this grand event in honour of children with special needs. Out of your busy schedules and on such day as this, you have demonstrated your passion for children by honoring our invitation to this fund-raising dinner. We do not take this gesture for granted.
The idea of the Sedoo Initiative for Children came in a couple’s (Aondofa ) quest for answers, and care for nurturing two of their children born with Cerebral Palsy, a form of brain abnormality. Their daughter Sedoo was born on the 22nd of August in 2005. She could not sit, see, talk nor recognized anybody. Aondofa was born on January 18 in 2007. He had similar challenges as of Sedoo’s, he could not see, talk nor recognized us.
Faced with the challenges of raising two children with Cerebral Palsy in a society where this category of children is regarded as spirits or snake incarnate. With no places they could take the children for information, professional care and comprehending the plight of other parents with children requiring special care; they conceived the framework of SECHILD.
The Sedoo Initiative for Children with Special Needs (SECHILD) is a non-profit, community-driven development and non-governmental charity that advocates for the rights of children with special needs, provides residence care, physio/occupational therapies and counseling for their parents and care givers with an emphasis on Cerebral Palsy.
The burden of care for children generally is high and even greater with those born with special needs. The parents, families and caregivers of these children are usually overwhelmed. The society and all of us have an obligation to the duty of understanding, acceptance and love for these children so that they can grow and live fulfilled and productive lives.
Being parents of two children with CP and having experienced firsthand the challenges, frustration and the near helplessness of raising such children in our society, they seek to share more information on the condition, re-orient people, to put an end to the indiscriminate killings and brutal mal practices of neglect due to myths and traditional beliefs. They seek to create a society of understanding, acceptance and care.
SECHILD runs a facility (SECHILD center) for residence professional care, therapies and counseling. It has enrolled more than 25 children but some of the registered children are not admitted due to limited availability of space.
We are raising funds towards supporting the expansion and equipping of SECHILD’s center to be able to enroll more children who are on the waiting list and provide sustained care.
I therefore call on all of you-good spirited distinguished personalities that are passionate to issues of children, to support us achieve this vision of a society where children with special needs have all the basic needs of life.
We have compiled a list of support and care items needed at SECHILD’s new center. It is our sincere expectation that you will extend your goodwill to us in acquiring all of them to better care for the children.
I am confident, that together we can work to create a more caring society and a future for children with special needs.
March 26th, 2022, in Zuma Hall at Rockview Royale Hotel, Abuja-Nigeria. It was led by the Chairpersons of BOT and Advisory Board and was well attended.