In our quest to achieve our core mission of changing lives and securing futures using progressive art therapy, we also deal with fundamental issues, as we identify missions and homes we going to be working with.
In this regard Kasafie sometimes have to adopt distress missions help them in reorganizing, providing needed amenities and necessities that will help them get back into gear and provide the community the services required. One such mission is the Harmony Community Disabled Center (HCDC) located in Bujumbura in the Central Region. The initial purpose of the center was to cater for the people both adults and children who got disabled during the Liberian In 2004 HCDC officially began taking care of disable children.
They currently have fifty two (52) children of which thirty five (35) of them are regular at the center every day and seventeen (17) of the children are not able to due to various reasons. The center opens regularly from Monday – Friday to the wards from eight o’clock in the morning till their parent or guardian picked them up by three o’clock in the afternoon.
The children at the center have different disabilities comprising off:
- Cerebral palsy
- Down syndrome
- Autism
- Deaf and dumb
- Physically challenged
And adults with stroke complications The center has no professional therapist but they do try to provide care and therapy to the children and adult stroke victims. The following types of therapy are given at the center:
- Speech
- Massage
- Occupational training using fine sand as a material
The Center provides a much needed humanitarian services to the community and surrounding areas, but due to their lack of support and being in an underprivileged community HCDC is:
- severely challenged,
- over crowded,
- working with inadequate amenities
- under staffed
And severely in need of emergency help. Some of the challenges include :
- having to use uncompleted buildings for the therapy center, classrooms, and kitchen
- lack of equipment and materials for therapy
- lack of teaching materials and stationary
- lack of playing materials
- basic needs for the children
- clothing for the children
- mats and tables for therapy
- additional staff
- transportation
- no electricity at the center
- a nurse and a professional therapist
Kasafie has adopted HCDC and are working to get the center back on its feet.