Centre Orchidée Home, the centre training children with autism in the economic capital, has set up a shop, dubbed “La Boutque de LucO,” under the roof of Immeuble Ibanne in Bonanjo to sell articles and use the profit made for the training and education of children with autism and support of the professional initiatives of adults with autism.

The shop, which consists of specially designed beddings, tea cups, table napkins, attractive and quality readymade dresses such as “kaba,” robe, T-shirt, polo shirt and other material, was opened Wednesday. The many who are coming to buy are authorities and their family members, business people, individuals, students, etc. Both materials and their designing or sewing have been realised through generous contributions as individual ways of reaching out on the children at the lone Centre Orchidée Home, COH, in Bonamoussadi.

“We wish that the public should buy from us as their own gesture of solidarity because money made from the sales will be channelled to sponsoring the training, education and support of children and adult with autism. This is just another way the public can reach out on the underprivileged children. We have trained about 600 children living with autism at Centre Orchidee Home in Bonamoussadi since year 2005. We have witnessed great improvement in the children in the course of training and this has helped us send many to attending normal Secondary Schools. We are now into setting up a specialised centre for the training of such children in Government School Petit Joss,” the President of COH, Marie Mélanie Bell, told CT.

Autism is a condition whereby a child is born with intellectual retardation and insufficient inability for social acquisition. He is unable to interact with other children or carry out normal activities, he cannot enter into conversation with others, cannot respond to others, cannot describe a situation, he experiences educational, communication and behavioural difficulties which is not common in other children. Autism is a disability and not a disease, therefore it cannot be cured but its inabilities can be improved upon. Parents are encouraged to help educate such children in specialised centres in order to overcome the insufficiencies. Children living with autism cannot learn on by themselves.

 

source:Cameroon Tribune, Christopher JATOR