YASA Foundation sustains therapy support for children with cerebral palsy
By Adewale Owoade
The Yeye Afolashade Shona-Aluko (YASA) Foundation has sustained its provision of speech therapy and physiotherapy for children with cerebral palsy and others requiring specialised developmental support.
The intervention, held at Akerele Primary Health Centre, Surulere, Lagos State, was designed to improve beneficiaries’ communication skills, mobility and overall well-being.
The programme brought together children with special needs, their parents and healthcare professionals, providing families with access to essential therapeutic services.
The initiative is part of the Foundation’s humanitarian efforts to promote inclusive healthcare and improve access to specialised interventions for vulnerable children, particularly those whose families face financial constraints.
Founder of the Foundation, Yeye (Dr) Afolashade Shona-Aluko, said the programme reflected the organisation’s commitment to promoting dignity, inclusion and equal opportunities for children and other vulnerable members of society.
Shona-Aluko, also known as Yeye Bobajiro Oodua, said children and persons living with disabilities deserved love, appropriate healthcare and opportunities to develop their abilities to the fullest.
She stressed that disability should not be a basis for discrimination or social exclusion.
According to her, the Foundation is concerned about families who struggle to access regular speech therapy, physiotherapy and other essential interventions because of financial limitations.
She said the programme was designed to bring professional support closer to such families while raising awareness about the importance of early intervention and continued therapeutic care.
The founder added that the Foundation would continue to explore opportunities to support vulnerable children and persons with disabilities through healthcare interventions, inclusive programmes and partnerships with stakeholders.
She called on government agencies, healthcare professionals, corporate organisations, philanthropists and well-meaning Nigerians to support initiatives aimed at improving access to specialised care for children with developmental challenges.
Shona-Aluko said building an inclusive society required collective responsibility, compassion and sustained investment in the well-being of people facing barriers to essential services.
Some parents and caregivers of the beneficiaries expressed appreciation to the Foundation for providing access to the therapeutic services.
They described the intervention as a welcome source of support for families caring for children with special needs, noting that the cost and availability of specialised services often posed challenges.
One of the parents said access to speech therapy and physiotherapy was important to the child’s development, expressing hope that similar interventions would continue to reach more beneficiaries.
The parent also called for sustained support to help families understand how to assist their children’s progress at home.
Another parent commended the Foundation for its continued support, noting that initiatives of this nature could ease the burden on caregivers and encourage families navigating the challenges of raising children with special needs.
The parent urged other organisations, private individuals and public institutions to support similar programmes so that families caring for children with developmental challenges would not be left to cope alone.
The beneficiaries’ parents further emphasised the need for sustained access to speech therapy, physiotherapy and other relevant healthcare services, noting that consistent support was essential to the children’s development.
