AUGUST 2023 BOOT CAMP REPORT
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AUGUST BOOT CAMP REPORT
Activity: 2023 August Boot Camp
Venue: FMC Umuahia Chapel Hall
Date: 23rd August, 2023
The Health Care Team:
- Peace Amaraegbulam
- Layi Anjorin – Guest Speaker
- Lynda Chukwu
- Uchenna Egbe-Eni
- Asu Custodian
- Abat Onyedikachi G.
- Ibeawuchi Chidika Happiness
- Ekwueme Tochukwu
- Okegbe Ikenna
- Chimere Onyema
- Dr Uchenna Oluwatosin
- Effiong Excellence
- Nwoko Onyinyechi
- Ani Somtochukwu C.
- Asogwa Obinna
- Aniyem Clet Chukwuma
- Abah Grace
- Bright Amadi
- Amarachi Chris-Ivoke
- Dr RoseAnn Chidomere
Participants Attendance:
The event had a total of 81 participants comprising of 36 CP patients (17 males, 19 females); 41 parents (2 males, 39 females) and 18 other children (5 males, 13 females), who attended the event.
Introduction:
The August boot camp is an annual event organized by The Straight Child Foundation, with the umbrella aim of creating a platform for free multi-dimensional support services to children living with Cerebral Palsy (CP) and their parents. The event for this year had the presence of a team of health care professionals, including 2 Medical Doctors, Physiotherapists, Orthotists and Prosthetists, and Social Workers. It was also graced by the Hon. Commissioner of the Abia State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation – Mrs. Ngozi Blessing Felix, ably represented by the Director of Child Life and Development, Mrs Nkuche. The guest speaker was a Consultant Pediatric Physiotherapist, from the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Kwara State – Dr. Anjorin. The participants at the event were also treated to some delicious meals and drinks.
Narrative:
The activity commenced at exactly 10:02 AM, with an opening prayer by Dr. Peace Amaraegbulam. Speaking in the native language to ensure effective communication, she proceeded to welcome all the participants, and described the event as one borne out of, and has been sustained by passion in her and a group of other health care providers and friends of hers, to bridge the gap in the national health care system, with respect to care for children living with disabilities, especially CP and clubfoot. In her opening, she encouraged the parents of the children living with CP in the efforts to care for the children despite the challenges involved and other competing roles they have to play in the daily management of the home. She also gave an explanation of what the condition – cerebral palsy is, what its possible causes are, and the different ways they could manifest in different children, debunking the beliefs of some people that the condition was associated with spiritual manipulations or a punishment for the misdeeds of parents.
After her remarks, she introduced the guest speaker for the event, in the person of Dr. Anjorin. Speaking to the participants in general, he buttressed to the parent, the need for proper and correct information on their children and the various challenges they have in their day-to-day life, to enable the health care professionals provide them with the best possible support. He proceeded to conduct an individual assessment of all the children living with CP accompanied by their mothers. In the process, he examined the physical conditions of the children to ascertain their levels of deformity, conversed with those that could speak, and enquired from their mothers of when and how they observed that their children had the condition and what interventions they have been able to access so far. After his assessment of the each of the children, he proffered course of management and referred them for other health care providers at the event for other interventions. He also took time to counsel the mothers of the best ways to care for their children at home and the best way to harness their physical and mental abilities. He answered various questions from the parents on issues concerning their children, and also guided the younger Physiotherapists on the management of some of the conditions.
The attendees to the event also listened to the Hon. Commissioner of the Abia State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation – Mrs. Ngozi Blessing Felix, as presented by the Director of the Department of Child Development – Mrs. Ngozi Nkuche, in which she expressed her profound gratitude to witness the dedication and effort that the organization has invested in offering hope and brighter future for children living with CP. She also assured the team of the government’s commitment to putting systems in place that will ensure support to the organization in pursuance of her goals. Responding to the speech, the founder of The Straight Child Foundation appreciated her for honoring the invitation, describing the act as very encouraging and expressed hopes for more support from the government to sustain the organizations selfless service provision and efforts in helping the children to have a life beyond limits, despite their disabilities. She also opened the organization’s desire and longing to establish a center for children with the condition and implored the Hon. Commissioner to use her office to support the organization to achieve that dream, for the children’s sake. She added the center will enhance the children’s access to personal development services and other therapeutic support, thereby helping them to maximize their abilities, and sharing the burden of caring for them with their parents. Further, she assured the Hon. Commissioner of the organization’s commitment to supporting children with disabilities and promised the organization’s readiness to partner with the ministry to improve the lives of the children and their households.
The event for the year came to an end at about 4:00 PM when all the children had been satisfactorily attended to. Follow-up plans were made for some of the children for continued therapies and other support services.
The organization appreciates everyone who made out time and committed their time and other resources in any way to make the year’s event a success, and looks forward to more support for a more robust event in the coming year, with more material support for the children, in the like of movement and learning aids, etc.
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