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TZI FIFTH ANNIVERSARY DINNER AND FUNDRAISING FOR PERMANENT SITE BUILDING In our continous bid to raise autism awareness and funds for the proposed permanent site building, the Zamarr Institute celebrated its fifth Anniversary on Friday, December 2, 2011. Nigeria’s premier bank, First Bank of Nigeria Plc partnered with the Zamarr Institute making the event a reality. The event was glamorous showcasing talented children with various degree of Autism.
The dinner was graced by various dignitaries, parents and well wishers. In attendance was the Guest of Honor, Her Excellency, Hajiya Amina Mohammed Sambo, the Wife of the Vice President represented by Mrs. Oluyemesi Akinwumi wife of the Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources. Mallam Lamido Sanusi the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria represented by Mohammed A. Yakasai. The Minister of Women Affairs was also fully represented at the dinner.
The dinner was filled with series of events lined up for the evening. The audience was enlightened with a short play depicting the ordeal of parents living with Autism which was quite revealing to the guests. They were able to appreciate the purpose of the dinner. Mrs. Akinwumi, the Representative of the wife of the Vice President at the dinner read the speech of Her Excellency Hajiya Amina Mohammed Sambo. In her speech she commended the Zamarr Institute for the worthy cause it has done in the rehabilitation of children suffering from autism. She also stated that autism is long overdue especially for those victims and their families who have been undiagnosed, misunderstood and are everywhere looking for help. She encouraged everyone to STAND UP FOR AUTISM.Special performances where rendered to spice up the evening as the dinner unfolded into the night. The children of the Zamarr Institute performed with Di’Ja a US based artist and afterwards rendered a special song. A Child Psychiatrist Dr. Anette Amodu based in the UK and also a Consultant with the Zamarr Institute gave a short presentation on the autism spectrum disorders at the dinner which was very informative Other Nigerian artists at the dinner were Brymo, and Lindsey who rendered beautiful performances while the guest enjoyed their lovely dinner. One of the major event of the dinner was the formal investiture of the TZI 2011 Autism Ambassadors to be the face/voice for autism awareness in Nigeria. Those nominated for TZI 2011 Autism Ambassadors were M.I., Mrs. Toyin Saraki, Adesuwa Onyenokwe, Joke Silva, Mrs. Tosin Dokpesi, Sen. Khairat Abdul Rasaq Gwadabe, Hon. Khadija B. A. Ibrahim, Tony Uranta, Amb. I. J. Sagay, Ms. J. Ibrahim, Funke Adedoyin and Ice Prince As the night progressed the MC announced the cutting of the cake marking the fifth anniversary of the Institute. The cutting of the cake was done by the founder with the special children of the Zamarr Institute. The dinner came to an end at about 11:30pm. |
 Participants at the workshop |
ZAMARR INSTITUTE’S ONE-DAY WORKSHOP ON AUTISM AND RELATED LEARNING DISABILITIES FOR TEACHERS In response to the significant prevalence of rate of school aged children and youths with disabilities requiring special education during primary and secondary school, Zamarr Institute organised a free workshop for teachers in schools in and around the Abuja metropolis. The aim was to promote awareness and understanding of autism and related learning disabilities in schools which we hope would in turn improve access to inclusive education for pupils with special needs in schools.
Over 40 schools were contacted including crèches and day-care centres for the workshop and each school was required to send in one participant. The programme had 25 teachers in attendance and started at 9.30am with registration and introduction of participants. The first presentation on effective communication was done by Mrs Ola – a regional trainer with the U.K National Health Service. She started with the importance of communicating effectively with children with autism and related disabilities. Participants were then asked to get into groups and list common signs that can be seen in children with autism, ADHD or other similar disorders. From their responses, it was clear that most of the participants face some of these challenges in their classrooms. The facilitator then moved on to social skills and relationships. At this point, participants were again asked what they considered proper social skills. Finally, she introduced the Makaton language programme which uses signs and symbols with speech for communication with very young children or children without speech. After tea break, participants were taught the letters A to Z in Makaton as well as some basic words like ‘hello’, ‘please’, ‘drink’, ‘eat’ e.t.c. She recommended some TV programmes and CDs that use Makaton and as example, showed some short clips. She concluded by explaining that intensive training in each of the three areas she touched on take at least three days.
The second presentation on Autism Spectrum Disorders was done by Mrs Ronke Katagum – Executive Director of Zamarr Institute. She started with a classic definition of autism and went on to the history of autism diagnosis as well as the other disorders that fall under the spectrum. She addressed common autism myths, the triad of impairments associated with autism and pointed out the ‘red flags’ in each area. The idea being to help teachers identify students with learning challenges as distinct from children with autism. She then went to talk about the different interventions including diet, medication and various therapies as well as their downsides and benefits. She concluded by pointing out strategies that can be employed in classrooms to assist their students with varying challenges. The programme ended at 3pm with a Question & Answer session, workshop evaluation and lunch. |
