Rehabiltation Day Care
In 2012 we opened our doors simply as a home for abandoned, orphaned and at risk babies. It did not take long to realize the problem was not babies but moms who were poor and desperate and who would lay their baby down on the side of the road or any where she felt the baby might have a better chance at life than with her.
We began programs for women such as MAP “Mothers Against Poverty” to offer small business training. We opened the large Preslar Mothering Center where classes of all kinds are offered including counseling, spiritual guidance, computer classes, technical assis
tance and access to funding. We brought the women who were homeless on campus and built apartments for them so they had a place to stay off the streets. But it wasn’t enough.
Many of the moms referred to Neema Village have been abandoned, abused and kicked out of society simply because they had a special needs baby. Added to the heart break of having the baby in a society where there are no government programs to go to for help the women often find themselves begging on the street for their next meal. In their villages these babies are hidden away in dark rooms in mud huts. They are not brought out for others to see because they believe they are a curse on the family. In the past these babies were put outside the thorn bush fence for the wild animals. Thank God that no longer happens!
We still had a problem. We found that when we set the moms up in a small business, the baby must lay on the floor in the corner so she can work. These babies are often on feeding tubes and it takes hours to feed them. They moan and scare the customers. We had to do better.
Then Social Welfare asked us to open a free day care for moms with handicapped babies. But we wanted more than just a day care. It needed to be a top notch rehabilitation center so these little ones could reach their full potential in life. A beautiful place where Moms could safely drop off their babies and head to work.
Today Neema’s Rehabilitation Center for special needs babies is a bright and cheery place full of music and laughter. It is loud and messy and wonderful. Over the past years many babies have come to the center with problems like Paul Johnson, a cerebral palsy baby. On the parallel bars in the rehab center on campus PJ learned to walk at age four, now he runs everywhere. He is learning to eat by himself and go to the potty by himself. He is learning to dress himself. PJ laughs easily and loves life and volunteers. We love to say, what evil meant for death, God has meant for Life!
The babies have to be certified as special needs by a doctor before they can enter tge program.
Napendaella, a registered teacher, directs the Rehab center and with Teacher Penwelli and seven trained nannies the Neema Rehabilitation Center for Special Needs Babies is a place of hope and joy. Spend a morning with them, you’ll see.