Children are gifts from God and their existence should be celebrated. The National Children’s Day was created for the same purpose, to celebrate the gift of life and spread awareness of the importance of children and that their little voices are being heard.
Rotary Clubs have always had this mission to support communities and address issues about health especially for the children and because of the effects of the restrictions that we had during the pandemic, there was an uprising on the concerns in spreading mental health awareness. These are some of the reasons why Rotary International District 3830 includes in this year’s mission to include a project that addresses the issues and concerns with mental health. The Rotaract Club of Brgy Sta Cruz worked hand-in-hand with the Rotary Club of Makati North Partners to initiate a project entitled “Free Clinic for Children with Special Needs”. The project was held last July 23, 2023 at the Municipal Covered Court of Santa Maria, Bulacan. This project is also in line with the celebration of the National Children’s Day.
The aforementioned free clinic is a joint project of Rotary Club of Makati North, Rotary Club of Santa Maria, Rotary Club of Mutya ng Santa Maria, Rotary Satellite Club of Makati North Partners, RCC of Brgy Sta Cruz, Rotaract Club of Brgy Sta Cruz, Rotaract Club of Santa Maria, LR Tiqui Builders Inc, Municipality of Santa Maria, and TriboNDC of the Neurodevelopmental Center of University of Perpetual Help – Las Piñas.
The project aimed to provide free screening, home program, and/or referral to other health care providers for further assessment. Among the services provided were screenings for occupational therapy, speech therapy, and Special Education inclusion. The project benefitted a total of 111 children aged five to twelve years old with neurological and developmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder, Down’s syndrome, global developmental delay, microcephaly, learning difficulty, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, communication disorder, and speech delay.
Children are specials, no matter what their conditions are, they should always be celebrated. This project’s goal is to show that despite their special needs, these children are charming, smart and talented and through the support and love by their parents they can do great things.
