Nigeria Content Online

The Down Syndrome Foundation Nigeria has called upon
the government, corporate bodies and individuals to help raise funds
needed to perform corrective surgeries on seven children with Down
Syndrome.

Down Syndrome is a condition in which extra genetic
material causes delays in the way a child develops, both mentally and
physically. It affects about 1 in every 800 babies. Speaking at a press
conference yesterday to kick start the 2010 Down Syndrome Awareness
Week in Lagos, Rose Mordi, the National President of the Association,
appealed to people to come to the aid of these children.

Help needed

According to Mrs Mordi, the foundation presently has
seven babies on its surgery list needing medical interventions in
India. Four of these children: Oluwafemi Oderemi (13 months), Honour
Trust (6 months), Daniel Oliha (2 months), and Olanrewaju Azeez (11
months) require corrective heart surgeries; while twins Favor and
Martha Jideonwor (9 years), and Kenneth Nwosu, need urgent eye
surgeries to save their sight. An estimated N10million is needed to
fund these surgeries. The cost is inclusive of travelling,
accommodation, surgical fees for the babies and one parent along with
two chaperones.

Statistics show that people with Down Syndrome have
some prevalent peculiar health issues such as congenital heart defects
which occurs in 40-50 percent of them, 8-12 percent have
gastrointestinal tract abnormalities present at birth while up to 65
percent suffer hearing defects. This informed the need of the
foundation to launch a medical intervention initiative called the
‘Save-A-Life Project’ in 2004. The project has so far sent some
children to the Narayana Hrudayalaya Institute of Cardiac Sciences in
India for some successful heart surgeries. The inspiration to start the
foundation, according to Mrs Mordi, began when she gave birth to a
child with Down Syndrome.

How it all started

“It was 23 years ago that I had a baby who had a
condition called Down Syndrome,” she said. “When I had her, I found out
that most of the people who should know about it did not know anything
about the condition. It means there was no hope for anyone who had a
child with Down Syndrome in this country. She happens to be my last
child and there is a reason God sent her to me. I went from hospital to
hospital but no one in the country could give me any advice. I had to
go back to the UK and it was there I got the help and information I
needed to take care of my child. There, I was advised to start a
support group for parents of children with Down Syndrome. It took me 14
years before I eventually decided to take it up and the rest is
history. We started in my sitting room. I called some parents together,
we brain stormed and thought of ways we could help our children.”

Sunday Ogunrinde, the Senior Special Assistant to the
Governor of Lagos State on rehabilitation, emphasized the need for
educating parents of children with Down Syndrome on how to care for
their child rather than hiding them. “What we need in respect of Down
Syndrome and general disabilities is education,” he said. “We need to
work together to inform our society. When people are informed, they
would be alive to their responsibility. We need to break the barriers
that keep a Down Syndrome child away from visitors. We must cherish
what we have. It gives the child that self confidence that challenges
them to be somebody great.”

Educating the public

Mrs Mordi enlightened members of the press on the
steps taken by the foundation to reach out to people at the grassroots.
“We have come a long way from where we started,” she said. “Our aim is
to reach out to every child with Down syndrome in this country and
beyond. We intend to have chapters in the six geo-political zones of
this country, to the grass roots. We started with the grass roots and
thank God for where we are today. The government of Lagos state would
like to partner with us to organize seminars and workshops, to educate
the public, to encourage people to come out and put structures on
ground to take care of their needs and possibly translate our messages
into different languages for those who don’t understand English.”

Among the activities lined up for the Awareness Week are a Charity
walk, an international seminar to discuss educational, medical and
socio-economic issues of Down Syndrome in Nigeria, a fund raising
dinner and awards evening and a family fun-fair.