Hope for Children with Special Needs as Caregivers establish Support Group in Nigeria
Mrs Rosemary Idika is a mother and caregiver to her beautiful daughter, Adaure who lives with cerebral palsy in Abakaliki, Southeast Nigeria. She joined SSABHI in 2023 and serves as the Chair of Community Engagement and Support Working Group. Inspired by our strategic objectives, she reached out to other caregivers of children with special needs and they formed the Give Back the Smile Group (GBS). During its inaugural meeting, October 2025, the group expressed deep concerns about the lack of support and the difficulty in assessing social services. In a communique released to the media, they charged the Ebonyi State government to include the needs of the children as a development priority.
Details of the communique is as published below;
Communique issued by Give Back the Smile Support Group on the Unfortunate Neglect of Special Needs Children in Ebonyi State
OCTOBER 16/10/2025
The Give Back the Smile Support group (GBS) is a group of parents with special children. The group was formed with the purpose of putting smiles back on the faces of Special Needs children, their families and caregivers.
As, we all know, parenting a special need child is not an easy task, and as such most of the parents and caregivers are emotionally stressed most times due to the highly demanding needs of their children and wards.
After the meeting of members of the GBS on Sunday October 12, 2025 it was agreed that we embark on intensive awareness campaign to call the attention of the Government of Ebonyi State to integrate the needs and interest of children with special needs into the state’s development plans.
The decision stems from the following:
- We have noticed that the living condition of PLWDs in Ebonyi State are worsened by the unfortunate fact that the society pretends that they do not exist. This attitude is most visible in the fact that their conditions are not factored into social amenities in the state thereby completely excluding them from having quality life.
- In Ebonyi State, for instance, have no public road that made provisions for movement of special needs, ramps are in very few public buildings. They don’t have any pedestrian bridge that Carter for the needs of special needs people.
- In terms of education, there are no special needs school. Even in the mainstream school, no provision for inclusive education.
- In the hospital, do you know that, they do not have an occupational therapist or speech therapist! These are health care professionals that are very very important in the care of these children.
- It is a well-known fact that the cost of caring for children with special needs is so high due to the need of multiple specialists, constant need for assistive devices and medications.
- We note that every special needs child has a right to LIFE, a right to EDUCATION, a right to QUALITY LIFE, a right to HAPPINESS.
- We are therefore, calling on the Ebonyi State Government as well as the Federal Government of Nigeria to in addition to providing educational and healthcare facilities for people with special needs also make healthcare services for them free.
Signed:
Mrs. Ogeri Rosemary IDIKA
Dr. Anthonia Nwachi
