We all know that the playing field isn't always level. People arrive in life with different talents and variable resources. That's why this partnership between Ghanaians and Creating New Beginnings works. We are not handing out cash. We provide the school, monitor the teachers, have exchange programmes in place and create awareness with partnership organisations.
Lifting the Burden offers an Autism Telephone Helpline here in Brent to provide support for parents and carers in the Ghanaian Community where English is not their first language and who struggle with reading and writing English and have children or young people with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
because a child is always jumping and spinning around and can’t stay in the same place for long, they are deemed to be abnormal because their behaviour is quite different from other children
making noises, jumping, going up and down and spinning around makes other children and adults stand at a distance away and stare.
anything that is abnormal is attributed to witchcraft.
parents are suffering because they are blamed and told they did something real bad and have been cursed that is why they have given birth to such a child – a child who makes noises, is constantly jumping around, going up and down and is constantly spinning around
such children are thought to be cursed by the gods or is the result of bewitchment or cursed families being punished.
parents who give birth to these children believe the child is not going to be able to provide for them in their old age and so such children are not worth wasting time and effort on.
having a child with any disability can bar the parent from taking part in the community even from taking part in business
when a child who drools and “looks funny” is hanging around your stall while you are trying to sell fruit? No one would buy! And neither can the parent leave the child at home and go to the farm because you have to watch over them
just like any other place in the world … people care and worry about what other people will say.
the effects of having special needs children affects the whole family’s ability to fend for itself
having a special needs child might mean nobody marrying into that family
other parents withdraw their children from school when a student with a disability enrolls because they do not want their child to catch “it”
without information and the raising of awareness some teachers still resort to caning special needs children to get them to stop spinning around, jumping about etc because the behaviours displayed are that of a stubborn child
Creating New Beginnings is a charity sponsoring the education of disadvantaged children with learning difficulties and autism. We fundraise to attract grants and donations to sustain and develop our special needs education services in Ghana.