By Prince Banda:
Active Life Physiotherapy Clinic is expected to host a fundraising event on Friday at its clinic in Area 49 (New Gulliver) in Lilongwe to support physiotherapy services and special classes for children living with disabilities across the country.
The event will be held under the theme ‘You Haven’t Done Enough if You Haven’t Supported a Child with Disability’.
The activity is a deliberate campaign to create and enhance a society with free and effective therapy services for all children living with disabilities across the country.
Active Life Physiotherapy Clinic is one of the physiotherapy and rehabilitation centres in Lilongwe.
The physiotherapy clinic’s Director, Kennedy Kadewere, told Malawi News Agency (MANA) the organisation’s vision is to see a better Malawi for all underprivileged children living with disabilities through provision of free physiotherapy treatments and other services.
“We target children from two months to 15 years of age who suffer from a number of disorders such as physical disabilities, speech disabilities as well as cognitive or intellectual disabilities.
“We believe through free rehabilitation targeting areas of special learning therapies like physiotherapy, speech, cognitive and occupational therapies, these children can achieve full independence in most of their daily activities,” Kadewere said.
According to Kadewere, Active Life Physiotherapy has so far treated at least 56 children with disabilities since its establishment in 2020.
However, the clinic has recently registered over 40 new children with different disabilities which need instant therapies, hence the call for fundraising.
In a separate interview, Malawi Council for the Handicapped (MACOHA) Public Relations Officer, Harriet Kachimanga, commended the fundraising arrangement, saying it is a good initiative for promoting the Disability Sector through empowerment of children with disabilities.
“It’s a good thing that Active Life Physiotherapy is incorporating mental or cognitive therapy in addition to physiotherapy because most stakeholders within the arena of disabilities forget that there is relationship between physical disabilities and mental disorder,” Kachimanga said.
According to Kachimanga, the negative impacts of poor mental health and mental illnesses are severe among people with physical disabilities.
She said children with physical disabilities are likely to have mental distress and trauma, hence the need to always consider mental therapy.
Kachimanga, therefore, urged the public to patronize and support the forthcoming fundraising event either financially or morally, saying empowering children with disabilities has potential to create a better Malawi.
Meanwhile, mothers have been advised to register their children with Active Life Physiotherapy Clinic regardless of form of disabilities they are living with.
