On Saturday, 28th May, 2022, The Engraced Ones Prayer Support and Advocacy Initiative, an NGO formed to rally round parents of children with disabilities, to sensitize the public about their condition while advocating for better health, education and good living condition of vulnerable children, recorded another milestone by unveiling Vocational Centre known as School of Grace Vocational Centre to create an alternative skills for children with special needs.
The founder and Convener of the group, Mrs Biboara Yinkere, said that the choice of the day to unveil the centre was also to commemorate the 2022 Children’s Day celebration and the idea is to prepare more productive future for the children. The skills will help the children to be independent, earn a living and contribute to the growth of the economy.
Speaking further, she said that since the children based on their disability is struggling with their academics, the vocational training would be an alternative to prepare them for the future,
Some years back, the group established a school known as School of Grace where they provided opportunity for the children with disabilities such children with autism, Down syndrome, Cerebral Palsy etc to acquire education.
She said that the categories of children with disabilities acquiring education is very difficult and even when the person managed to graduate from school, it is difficultt getting employment in a country like Nigeria.
“This is what informed our establishment of the vocational centre which will help to prepare them for the future”.
“They will be independent instead of searching for job and they will be free from the discrimination associate with searching for job as a person with disability”
“When you see them and you see what they can do, you don’t have any reason not to patronise them and that is why we are putting up this vocational centre”.
“Apart from all these, it is also to create additional needs for the children; most of them are good, and this is to add to their hands and eye learning. Every child has a different method of learning, this is to encourage them practically,’’.
She also said that the vocational centre didn’t have any corporate sponsorship, it was the contribution of some parents, friends of the NGO that made the vocational centre a reality.
She then called on the government and other organizations to come and support the initiative and encourage vocational centres in every school to enable these children to learn practical aspect of theory.
The Special guest of honour, Mr Sunday Udo who is the National Director, The Leprosy Mission Nigeria (TLMN), in his remarks said that he is impressed with what the group is doing in the lives of the children and urged them to continue working.
Speaking further, he informed that group that TLMN have a project targeting children with disabilities 0 to 25 years and they do give grant to organizations to implement on their behalf. He urged the group to take advantage of the next year grant opening which if they succeed, it will go a long way to aid the good work they are doing and NGO would be considered based its laudable activities over the years.
He urged the convener not to relent in the good works and exceptional passion of assisting these children with disabilities.
Mr Chris Agbo, the Executive Director, Qualitative Magazine( Disability advocacy magazine), called on Nigerian leaders and other well meaning Nigerians to start encouraging persons with disabilities in local communities through vocational training in order to achieve a more productive society.
He stated that when people neglect the contribution of Persons with disabilities, and don’t encourage them through vocational skills, the effort to curb poverty would be in vain.
However, a group member, Stella Creppy, said that the centre would help the children discover their talents.
Creppy, a member of the planning committee for the programme said that the theme.“Engrace for Exploit’’ was carved out of the passion to continue to pray for the children and to teach them how to help themselves.
She said that it was to sensitise people within the FCT on the special needs of the children and how to include them in the society.
She gave the assurance that the school of grace would work towards making the children discover their talents and teach them how to make money.
The Guest Speaker, Dr. Dorwis Izuwah said that an initiative like this will help these children to be independent in their adult age and it will be established in every state. Children in this condition is always over dependent to their caregivers especially their parents, siblings and teachers but imagine if these persons are no longer there to offer that care, what will happen to the children. That is why it is important they acquire vocational skills to be able to stand on their own and contribute to the development of the society.
She urged parents not to relax when it come to training of the children because a lot of efforts should be channeled towards securing their future.
Mrs Ngozi Beluolisa, the Proprietor, Safehost International Academy, Kurudu, Abuja in her goodwill message said that the Engraced Ones is a force to reckon with and their brand of advocacy and work which is backed with prayers is exceptional.
She prayed to God to strengthen their effort and they should not relent in their effort.
“The vision is huge, the convener is yet to understand how great what she has begun would be” she added.
Mohie Francis Oko, Executive Director, Ike Foundation for Autism(IFA) in his goodwill message said the life is not all about education but all about functionality, which is where Engraced Ones has taken their intervention to.
“In as much as we are taking care of the children, their adult age is very important, we should make sure that they are doing something meaningful at their adult age. Adults with cognitive disabilities who are well equipped with vocational skills have been very successful.
The highpoint of the event was the unveiling of the vocational centre by Dr. Sunday Udo and the centre is two rooms apartment furnished with equipment such as tailoring machine, shoe making apparatus, drum set, photocopy machine, bead making equipment, camera, and catering instrument.
TQM reports that the vocational skills the children will be exposed to are tailoring, shoe making, music, computer application, bead making, painting, photography and catering.
