Disability: NGO Donates Food, Learning Materials, Sports Equipment To Ogun Special School

The Opeyemi Disability Redemption Initiative has intensified its intervention in special education, providing educational materials, clothing, food items, personal care products and sporting equipment to children with disabilities in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The donation was made to learners of the Daniel Akintonde Model School for Children with Special Needs, Adigbe, Abeokuta, as part of the organisation’s Special Education Support Programme.

Chairman of ODRI, Aina Opeyemi, said the initiative was designed to improve the welfare and educational opportunities of children with disabilities, urging individuals, corporate organisations and other stakeholders to increase their investment in special education.

Opeyemi spoke on Wednesday during the organisation’s visit to the school, where he said sustained intervention was essential to ensuring that children with special needs were not left behind.

He said the Special Education Support Programme was one of seven initiatives being implemented by ODRI to support persons living with disabilities.

“This is one of our seven programmes, and it is tagged Special Education Support Programme. We do it for our special children, we do it to our special schools, and this is just one of what we do,” Opeyemi said.

According to him, the programme has been running for more than two years and was partly inspired by his personal experience as a person with disability and his determination to support others facing similar challenges.

Opeyemi said greater collective investment in children with disabilities could significantly improve their prospects and quality of life.

“I just believe that if everybody can invest in supporting children with special needs, things will not be the same,” he said.

He listed the organisation’s other interventions as the Support for Children with Intellectual Disability Programme, Mobility Aid Empowerment Programme, Special Sports Support Programme and Disability Health Support Programme.

He explained that the mobility programme provides mobility aids to persons who require them, while the special sports initiative supports athletes with disabilities with sporting equipment and other assistance.

He added that the Disability Health Support Programme provides assistance to persons with disabilities who require medical care, particularly those unable to afford hospital bills or those whose disabilities resulted from accidents.

The Headteacher of Daniel Akintonde Model School for Children with Special Needs, Adetiba Florence, described ODRI’s intervention as timely, saying the donated items addressed some of the immediate needs of the learners as they resumed for the new academic session.

Adetiba expressed appreciation to Opeyemi and the organisation for remembering the school and its learners.

“We are really impressed about what our father and the initiative has done for us today. It is a very good and welcoming idea,” she said.

The headteacher, however, appealed for continued assistance from individuals, organisations and the government, stressing that the needs of children with special needs extended beyond one-off donations.

She disclosed that the school would celebrate its 50th anniversary from November 9 to 15, with activities expected to include an inter-house sports competition.

According to her, the school was seeking financial and material assistance from members of the public, organisations and the government to support the anniversary programme and other activities.

Adetiba also commended the Ogun State Government for its intervention in the school, noting that new structures had been provided for both learners and staff.

She nevertheless called for sustained government support and greater community participation to further improve the learning environment and welfare of the children.