By Dostain Balach | Assistant Manager - Resource Mobilization
Dear Supporters,
The last quarter at the Karachi Down Syndrome Program has been very eventful. With KDSP Learning Centre (KLC) up and running, we’ve also opened up another facility called the KDSP Development Centre (KDC). Whereas KLC is dedicated to Education and Skills’ Development, KDC looks after the entirety of Early Childhood Intervention and Healthcare services – alongside our operations teams. With this, we’ve been able to expand the scale of our services and cater to more families, effectively reducing our waitlist. This quarter KDSP also hosted a concert featuring renowned Pakistani singers Bilal and Hasan; this was the first ever concert hosted by a not-for-profit organization in Pakistan! All proceeds from the concert went towards empowering individuals with Down syndrome.
Below mentioned are more highlights from this quarter, from each service
Family Support:
KDSP organized two informational Family Support Group sessions addressing mental healthcare needs of individuals with Down syndrome and on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) awareness. The sessions, delivered by experts, equipped parents and caregivers with the tools to improve the mental wellbeing of their loved ones with Down syndrome and address emergency situations where they may require CPR. The sessions benefited 50+ parents and caregivers.
Emotional support groups continued for parents and caregivers of children enrolled in KDSP preschool program by the Integrative Psychotherapist and Counsellor Ms. Zahabia. Additionally, a support group was also launched for parents and caregivers of children enrolled in KDSP afterschool program. The support group was aimed at providing parents with a safe and open space to share their thoughts, challenges, and emotions, and then to find strength and motivation for this journey. 6 sessions have been conducted which have benefitted 21 parents and caregivers.
A fun-filled beach retreat was organized for those with Down syndrome and their families in November. The retreat provided a day long opportunity for 50 families to connect with one another and for individuals with Down syndrome to develop new friendships over exciting activities and delicious food.
Awareness:
During October, which is the international Down syndrome awareness month, KDSP's annual awareness campaign was titled Pyaar Baanto (Spread Love). The campaign aimed to spread the message of love, inclusion, and diversity. It not only focused on celebrating the lives of individuals with Down syndrome, but also aimed to raise awareness for their right to inclusion in the mainstream society. As part of this campaign, KDSP released a new anthem, "Pyaar Baanto". The anthem is a catchy tune about spreading love; it is produced by Hamza Production House, directed by Zeeshan and sung by acclaimed singers: Ali, Haroon, Natasha, Nafisa, and Bilal "Pyaar Baanto" was officially released on a number of streaming platforms: YouTube, Spotify, Patari, iTunes, Deezer, Amazon Music, Sound Cloud, and Tidal.
The Launch Event for KDSP's Anthem, "Pyaar Baanto" took place at the KDSP Learning Centre (KLC) on 1st October 2022. It was an eventful evening where the donors, celebrities, individuals with Down syndrome and artists from the "Pyaar Baanto" anthem came together to celebrate its release. The event was hosted by Khalid and a number of people from the media fraternity graced the event with their presence. Media partners for the event included a number of local publications and mainstream and digital media channels.
The anthem has been widely shared on social media by digital publications. These include Fuschia Magazine, Paperazzi Magazine, Dawn Images, Runway Pakistan, Mangobaaz, Billboard, People magazine, Weekly wit, Click to update, Everyday Crunch, News Bytes, Central bytes 1, Trendtab, Hourly Updates, Pakistandigitalnews, Elite Class Magazine, Pakistan Scoop, Cutacut, and Nichelifestyle. Instagram influencers and artists from the Pakistani media industry also helped us spread our message of love by sharing the anthem on their respective social media handles.KDSP Team and artists for "Pyaar Baanto" made multiple television and radio show appearances in the month of October. These included shows on the following channels/platforms.: FM 91, Bol TV, Hum News, Geo TV, Aaj News, and Fuschia Magazine.
KDSP and its new anthem was able to get media coverage through different digital and print media platforms as well. These include Jang Magazine and Dawn Images.
As a part of the “Pyaar Baanto” campaign, KDSP conducted awareness sessions and fundraising drives in schools all over Karachi. The sessions focused on raising awareness about Down syndrome in specific and the need for an inclusive society in general.
These session were conducted in the following schools:
A special screening for “Pyaar Baanto” was also held at the IVY School. KDSP’s ambassadors, Ali and Nafisa along with the cofounders, Ali and Farzeen visited the school for an engaging session with students and parents. The audience really enjoyed “Pyaar Baanto”; they sang along, and were accepting towards the message of inclusivity the anthem aimed to convey.
In celebration of International Day of Persons with Disabilities, KDSP hosted its first ever concert at Beach Luxury Hotel on 3rd December 2022. It was a fun night where the 90’s heart-throb Bilal and the new music sensation Hasan performed live! More than 2000 people came together to celebrate the ‘Night for Inclusion’. All proceeds from the concert will go towards supporting individuals with Down syndrome at KDSP.
On 5th October, Ali and Farzeen, co-founders of KDSP, inaugurated the "Wall of Inspiration" at Inspire Dental. KDSP was featured on Inspire Dental’s "Wall of Inspiration" for Down syndrome awareness month. Inspire dental also provided free dental consultations to kids with Down syndrome.
In October, Individuals with Down syndrome associated with KDSP were featured in the music video of of a sports anthem produced by a telecom company Jazz’s sports anthem ‘Khel Dil Mein Hai’ – ‘Sports is in our heart’ - for T20 Cricket World Cup 2022. The anthem is sung by country’s esteemed artists: Asim, Meesha, and Eva, produced by SeeMe Productions, and is directed by Hassan. This sports anthem not only showcases the passion and enthusiasm our nation has for cricket but also adds in the spirit of inclusion of individuals with Down syndrome in the domain of sports.
In November, to celebrate Children’s Day, kids with Down syndrome visited Chop Chop Wok, a restaurant, and Sindbad, an amusement park for a fun day out. These visits were arranged by Chop Chop Wok in collaboration with Sindbad. Everyone had a great time and enjoyed themselves to the fullest! With this, Chop Chop Wok aimed to highlight, how fostering inclusion and tolerance can help support and improve the outcome of the lives of individuals with Down syndrome.
On 8th December 2022, Cosmo Group organized a grooming day at the KDSP Learning Center for kids and adults with Down syndrome. They set up a hairstyling and nail bar where everyone came in to get pampered for the day! It was surely a fun-filled event for all and girls and boys with Down syndrome were happy to get fancy nails and hairdos.
Skills Development:
On 17th September, KDSP in collaboration with Aga Khan University Hospital started a 6 weeks’ Swimming Training at AKU Sports and Rehabilitation Centre and 12 participants were facilitated
On 24th September, KDSP officially opened up its Crafters' Shop located in KDSP Learning Center.
On 1st October, KDSP set up its crafters' stall at Elan Bazaar. KDSP made sales of Rupees 27,000 and was able to spread awareness about individuals with Down syndrome. All the proceeds went back to the crafters who crafter these products
On 13th November, KDSP set up its crafters' stall at The 10th Crafters' Expo. It was a great opportunity for us to empower our crafters with Down syndrome, while also spreading awareness about KDSP and its work.
Between 9 to 11th December, KDSP put up its stall at Soul Fest, 2022 to raise awareness about the skills of KDSP crafters.
On 13th October, KDSP, in collaboration with Institute of Business Administration (IBA) started football and cricket trainings for individuals 8 years and above in which 30 participants were facilitated
On 16th November, Chop Chop Wok invited 10 Education for Life students for lunch alongside a dumpling cooking tutorial class at their Tipu Sultan Branch. It was a fun day with great food and company!
On 24th November, Spark Playcentre invited 20 participants from for fun day visit to their newly inaugurated early learning centre. Participants and their parents had fun and enjoyed to the fullest.
On 8th December, KDSP, in collaboration with Rangoonwala Community Center started a 3 months’ Jewelry Making Course; 10 individuals with Down syndrome benefitted.
On 15th December, 4 individuals with Down syndrome from KDSP took part in the Annual Sports Day at JS Academy for Deaf. They participated in races and tug of war.
On 16th December, 7 individuals with Down syndrome visited Arthouse by Sarwat Gillani for a Self Defense Class.
Early Childhood Intervention:
This year the tremendous growth of KDSP has had a domino effect on the turnover of parents reaching out. Consequently, the parents on the waitlist for ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) therapies increased. Parent Empowerment Program was initiated by KDSP as a mean to provide such parents with self-help guidance. The program started on the 17th of September and continues to be centered on the concerns of these waitlisted parents. Each interactive session is an informative guide to better equip the parents to deal with their concerns whilst they wait for their child’s turn to receive services. The program is not only informative in nature but is fueled from an intention to uplift the parents’ spirits and remind them that though they have been on the waitlist for a while, they are extremely valued members of KDSP.
At the start of September, the ECI department had the pleasure of collaborating with a well-known Physical Therapist Professor Annette, from Philadelphia with 24 years of experience. This collaboration was tailored so it could facilitate the needs of children with delayed results. Every week, Dr. Annette observes and assesses session of these kids with their respective therapists and parents on how better results could be achieved. Furthermore, Dr. Annette has also been helping therapists with further diagnosis and assessment of these children. Aside from the observatory work, the upcoming 4 weeks will consist of Dr. Annette hosting educative sessions on topics such as common comorbidities of children with Down syndrome.
This year, KDSP hosted a milestone event in November for all those brilliant individuals that had been discharged from two or more ECI therapies after achieving their milestones. The event had multiple stakeholders, including families of individuals with Down syndrome and KDSP’s donors. The afternoon celebrated not only these individuals and their hard work but also the persistence of their parents and therapists.
Ms. Anjum, an MS in Occupational Therapy and a licensed OTR/L from University of Illinios, Chicago, is a manager at the Essentia Therapy Solutions (North Carolina, USA). She conducted a training in November for therapists at KDSP. It was a great learning experience for the therapists.
Education:
On 20th, 21st and 26th October, A 3-day training session by Speech Therapist, Saamia was organized for the TAP facilitators to help them share and learn new strategies to facilitate the children with Down syndrome in their classes.
On 10th December, Tailored assistance program (TAP) team celebrated Parents’ Involvement Day and TAP Bazaar with TAP students. Students came with their parents and enjoyed many activities and games. They also set up a Bazaar to sell items to their parents made in TAP class to reinforce the concept of money.
Healthcare:
KDSP’s Behavior therapy team successfully observed over 48 children. The team identified a tool that could be used for further assessment of children with behavioral difficulties. Lastly, the team set the criteria a child needed to meet before getting enrolled in behavioral therapy. Following their contribution, this quarter KDSP got on board a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) making it possible for us to offer one on one behavior therapy sessions, classroom and therapy observations, and parent assessments.
The general pediatric clinic was created this quarter to cater to the numerous general health concerns of individuals with Down syndrome through onsite consultations, thorough clinical checkups and follow-up appointments:
Over 25 children benefitted from Aga Khan University Hospital Eye Camp in November by Dr. Irfan. Considering the persistence of eye issues in children with Down syndrome the camp benefitted all those that needed to have their concerns addressed by ophthalmologists.
5 children benefitted from the dental camp in October and 2 children were further referred to orthopedic specialists. Following this camp, KDSP signed an MoU with Alvi Dental which allowed our children to avail free consultations and special discounts on numerous services.
Some stories from the field:
- Gulzar, Father of Hifza
- Abdul, Father of Anabia
You can tell this was a rather eventful quarter for us at KDSP and this has only been possible by your support! Here’s hoping the next quarter will be better and busier!
Love,
Team KDSP
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