Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, SIFAX Group, Dr. Taiwo Afolabi

BY FRANCIS EZEM

SIFAX Group is currently partnering with two Non-Governmental Organisations NGOs, the Initiative for National Growth and Mo Rainbow Foundation to train physically-challenged Nigerian children in Lagos. These comprise70 visually-impaired and 50 children living with the down syndrome.

The training for the visually-impaired children was organised by the Initiative for National Growth, where topics such as choosing a career in public speaking, Mass Communication, Law and Psychology, mobility skills for the blind, legal rights, music therapy and sports skills were discussed. This is in addition to free Malaria and HIV tests that were carried on both categories of the participants and their caregivers.

On the other, Mo Rainbow Foundation hosted the children living with the down syndrome to a five-day inclusive creative arts training, which was meant to enhance their learning and adaptive skills.

Executive Director, Human Resources and Administration of the SIFAX Group, Dr. Fola Rogers-Saliu, while speaking at the occasion, noted that the company’s resolve in making the society a better place for everybody especially the physically challenged was the main reason for sponsoring the programmes.

“At SIFAX Group, we take delight in supporting social causes that positively impact and add value to the society. The major beneficiaries of our social interventions are the less privileged, the poor, orphans, widows and physically challenged children, among others.

“Physically-challenged children are shut out of many opportunities in the country due to their condition. These training programmes were then designed to prepare them for the real world, to equip them with skills that are required to succeed, even in a competitive environment. We believe that the society could gain a whole lot if the abilities and talents of these children are appropriately tapped. That’s why SIFAX Group is backing these initiatives”, she said.

Coordinator of the Initiative for National Growth, Mrs. Rachael Inegbedion, noted that the blind community has been under served especially with training that centers on equipping them with life skills. “After careful deliberations, my team and I saw that there was need to equip the blind community with life skills that will make them better people in the society. With this training, we want to stimulate the abilities in them and see them grow to become renowned professionals and experts in the different fields they have been trained today”, she explained.

Meanwhile, Creative Director of Mo Rainbow Foundation, Mrs. Tola Makinde, on her own part thanked SIFAX Group for supporting the children living with the down syndrome. She noted that the children needed a special learning process, adding that Creative Arts was one of the best ways to get the best out of them.

She said: “These children are special and these five -day special arts and crafts session exposed the special talents these children possess. They are not useless as some people would think. The reason why we organised this session was to unearth the innate talent they possess. We thank SIFAX Group for this sponsorship and we hope to continue to reach more children living with down syndrome though these special sessions”.