A group, The Straight Child Foundation, TSCF, has presented wheelchairs, diapers, study tablets and other prizes to Cerebral Palsy (CP) patients in Abia State.
The presentations were made as part of CP awareness creating programmes by the group.
Dr Peace Amaraegbulam, TSCF founder, explained that her group started a cerebral palsy awareness campaign in 2006 to strive for changes in education, healthcare and societal conditions of children with the health condition.
Speaking on the neurological condition which is the most common motor disability in childhood, she said: “Sufferers will have varying symptoms but their needs can be very profound with some unable to control movement, feed themselves , see or hear properly.
“The cause of cerebral palsy is not always known but it can happen if a baby’s brain does not develop normally during pregnancy or is damaged during or soon after birth.”
Dr Amaraegbulam advised parents whose children are caught in the web of CP not to give a room for regret.
Also speaking at the event, physiotherapist and TSCF team leader, Dr. Uchenna Oluwatosin demanded more governmental and societal attention to people living with the condition.
She noted that society still has a lot to do to generate awareness as well as provide all necessary aids needed by people living with CP.
She also noted with dismay that while the federal government has signed the Disability Act which the Abia State Government has domiciled, it has not been implemented, however.
She, therefore, called on the government, at all levels, to pay special attention to CP children, as their cases are a burden to their parents, especially those who are financially weak.
The event featured a talent show by children living with the condition and prize presentations.
There is currently no cure for cerebral palsy but available treatments, such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy, can help those with the condition to be as active and independent as possible.
