Kathy Bowler - Occupational and Speech Therapy enables children to integrate into their communities

Occupational Therapy is an important part of the programs offered at Children of Blessing Trust. Here the kids with disabilities learn the skills they need for life: eating and drinking, washing and dressing, going to the toilet, using their hands, playing with toys, and of course being able to think and learn.Our Occupational Therapist, Sylvia, works with children in our Children’s Rehabilitation Program, our Preschool and Special Education Programs. Some of the kids needing occupational therapy have physical disabilities, others have behaviour challenges and still others have perceptual motor or cognitive challenges. The goal of occupational therapy remains the same: help the kids become as independent as possible and integrate fully into their communities. For all kids this means being able to go to school, a huge accomplishment for kids with disabilities in Malawi.Speech therapy is also an important part of our programs. There is only one speech therapist in the whole country of Malawi. This makes it very hard for kids with speech and language challenges to get the help they need. We are fortunate to have Morgan, a Communication Disorders Technician, come once a week to work with our kids. If you are a speech therapist and want to come help us please email Kathy. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime!