Support & empower 1900+ persons with Down syndrome

Dear Supporters,

This quarter at the Karachi Down Syndrome Program (KDSP) was full of celebrations and creating awareness featuring the Down Syndrome Awareness month in October. The team took upon new ideas and initiatives to instill feelings of happiness and excitement in individuals with Down syndrome and their families, as they returned towards routine living. As a result, remarkable performances and faces that beamed with happiness were observed.

Below mentioned are some of the highlights from this quarter:

Early Childhood Intervention (physical, occupational and speech therapies):

• KDSP presented its paper, ‘The Virtual Shift: Early Childhood Intervention Therapies for Pakistani Children with Down Syndrome During COVID-19’ in the Virtual World Down Syndrome Congress 2021 held in Dubai. The research paper was further selected to be published in the Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal for their upcoming issue.
• In-person therapy clinics operated at full capacity for Karachi based members with 259+ therapy sessions conducted weekly. Virtual sessions continued for out of Karachi clients.
• Collaboration with Ethiopia based Deborah Foundation was established to offer Occupational, Physical and Speech Therapy training to the Deborah Foundation.

Healthcare:

• 60 children benefitted from referrals KDSP made to the Down Syndrome Clinic at Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) where they were able to receive appropriate medical intervention from renowned specialists.
• 17 medical tests were facilitated at AKUH through KDSP’s referrals.
• 4 children’s life-saving and life-enhancing medical procedures were sponsored by KDSP, facilitated at AKUH.
• 16 children benefitted from the Developmental Pediatrics Consulting Clinic at KDSP led by Dr. Sidra Kaleem, a renowned Developmental Pediatrician.

Education:

• Early Preschool Program held designated colour days to conduct activities to help children get familiarised with colours; 26 children benefitted from the activities. Resource packs were also given by teachers to parents for home assignments and for reinforcing activities at home, and trainings were held to explain parents the utilisation of materials from these resource packs.
• As part of the home-school program, 17 parents were given guidance on how to cultivate an environment at home that is conducive to the learning of their child.
• To celebrate Down syndrome awareness month 7 children attending the afterschool program were taken for a cruise trip along with their parents.
• An orientation session was also held to train 18 new teachers from various mainstream schools on the basis of the Down syndrome profile.
• 6 new children attended mainstream schools.

Awareness:

• The ‘Down Syndrome Awareness Month’ (October) themed “A ripple of change today, a wave of inclusion tomorrow” was celebrated through different initiatives and events throughout the month.
• Several awareness sessions were conducted with renowned organizations such as Ismail Industries Limited, Soorty Enterprises, 10Pearls, AAA Hospitality, Orange Tree Foundation, Legal Aid Society and Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zaid School in which 343+ people were sensitized.
• Famous celebrities and KDSP’s Goodwill Ambassadors, Ali Hamza and Hasan Rizvi joined us for Music & Movement and Paper Crafts to celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness month. The day was full of joy, sweet laughter and warm hearts!
• KDSP collaborated with different restaurants to help pave the way for an inclusive and equitable society by having donation boxes placed and giving customers complimentary Down syndrome themed customized cookies.
• Several appearances were made by representatives of KDSP on mainstream media throughout the month of October to create awareness amongst masses about Down syndrome.

Enrichment and Skills Development:

• KDSP and Pro Athletic Cricket Club collaborated for a fun and energetic Cricket class in September; around 22 individuals with Down syndrome ages 10 and above participated and enjoyed.
• Pearl-Continental (PC) Hotel Karachi organized a special event for children with Down syndrome and their families to promote inclusion. An inclusive painting activity in which the hotel’s staff also participated was enjoyed by all; 20 children and their families participated. Hi-tea was also arranged by the Hotel for children and their caregivers.
• KDSP and ‘7Chefs Institute’ collaborated for an amazing cooking & baking workshop at 7chefs' professional kitchen from which 12 individuals with Down syndrome learnt culinary skills. All participants were provided with material and equipment. Professional chefs guided them step-by-step to make delicious food, and participation certificates were also given to all.
• Handicrafts made by crafters with Down syndromewere displayed for sale at various events through which $38 were raised, and given back to the crafters with Down syndrome to instill a sense of financial independence.

Family Support:

• Since August, 102 new families have been enrolled into KDSP’s Network via the Family First contact meetings.
• KDSP has continued to offer monthly informational Family Support Group sessions to parents and caregivers of individuals with Down syndrome on diverse topics including Developmental Needs, Toilet Training, Self-care and Ophthalmological Care Needs.
• In September 2021, KDSP launched ‘Yoga for Mothers’ which is a virtual weekly program that offers yoga sessions to mothers of individuals with Down syndrome.
• 79 households have continued to be supported through monthly disbursement of grocery bags and 40 families have been supported through monthly digital transfers for financial support.

Some stories from the field:

Ahmed is a 3 year old child with Down syndrome at KDSP. During a speech therapy session, his therapist suspected he had trouble hearing and referred him for an audiology assessment. Ahmed was diagnosed with severe hearing loss of the middle ear. In August 2021, with your support, KDSP sponsored a pair of hearing aids so Ahmed could continue to avail his therapy sessions and achieve his developmental milestones. His therapists have since then reported an improvement in his progress.

Sabeeka’s mother expressed, “The KDSP Early Preschool is a “happy home” for my child. She is learning a lot here and her progress is exceptional. The attention and love she receives from her teachers and the staff are like no other. It is the best educational platform we could find, with fun learning activities. I am thankful with all my heart for all the love, care and focus given to my daughter. I thank the KDSP team for all their efforts.”

“Noticing some good changes after yoga; I feel more active, the pain and stiffness in my shoulders has decreased and I feel this freshness on my face. I am sure it will also help manage the stress us mothers face, as we continue to attend classes. I was aware of these benefits but did not realize them until after practical application. This is all thanks to KDSP and Dhanak, our instructor!” - Shabana, mother of Aijaz – participant of Yoga for Mothers

“Hadi was diagnosed with an unclosed hole in his heart, for which he underwent a successful surgery under the care of Dr. Babar at AKUH. Thanks to KDSP, Hadi is now living a healthy life and is able to energetically partake various activities” - shared mother of Hadi emotionally.

“Ayan loves attending Music and Movement and BollyX (Bollywood dance class) at KDSP. He enjoys it a lot and gets to do these activities with his sister, which has brought them closer together. KDSP has provided an excellent avenue for my son to do what he loves.” - expressed Maryam, mother of Ayan

Links:

• KDSP Crafters' Shop
• KDSP Website