Peace is a joyful and energetic six-year-old girl, the middle of three siblings.
At an early age she was diagnosed with Down Syndrome which can sometimes make communication a challenge.
Peace’s parents didn’t know how best to support her, and for much of Peace’s early life, she was not allowed to interact with other children and kept close to home. Her parents had limited resources to support and unaware of what rights Peace had, she was not enrolled into early education.
Peace was in danger of falling behind.
Through our project, Peace and her family were approached with information of the new Inclusive Early Childhood Education project being implemented across her community. Following conversations with the project staff, Peace’s parents agreed to enrol her in the centre.
Once at the centre, Peace reacted positively to the environment and quickly began to interact more freely with other children and started to make friends. Her parents were also informed of financial support they were entitled to and were able to source funds and equipment to help her attend school.
“The project has changed our attitude towards Peace’s participation in education. We better understand that a child with a disability has all the same rights as any other child.”
– Peace’s Father
Peace’s parents attitude to their daughter’s disability has changed entirely. Peace’s father now chairs his local Parent Support Group and leads them to collectively improve their community’s awareness and understanding of their children’s rights and needs.
