Donation of AMAETRI-Togo to the Down's syndrome children of the ENVOL centre of Bè

---

Extract from the article: The Association Mères Amis des Enfants Trisomiques (AMAETRI-Togo) in collaboration with Junior Chamber International (JCI Agoè Nyivé Planeer), proceeded on Monday 20 March 2023, to a handing-over of food and non food items to the Medico-Psycho-Pedago

---

The Association Mères Amis des Enfants Trisomiques (AMAETRI-Togo) in collaboration with Junior Chamber International (JCI Agoè Nyivé Planeer), proceeded on Monday 20 March 2023, to a handing-over of food and non food items to the Medico-Psycho-Pedagogical Centre ENVOL of Bè. The objective of this gesture is to enable the centre to better care for children suffering from Down's syndrome.

AMAETRI's humanitarian action is part of the celebration of World Down Syndrome Day. It aims to improve the living and working conditions at school of children with Down's syndrome. "Every 21 March, the International Day of Down's syndrome is celebrated. It is in this sense that we are there to relieve their school canteen and to arouse in them a taste for study. When a child eats well, he always wants to come to school. We also brought water filters so that they can drink quality water, and cleaning products to keep them healthy," said Tchatchein Agbassi, President of AMAETRI-Togo.

These donations include bags of rice, soaps, hand-washing materials, detergents, disinfectant gels, cartons of toilet paper and oil cans.

For the beneficiaries, this gesture comes at the right time as it will allow the centre to cope with the inflation that prevents the normal functioning of the canteen. « The canteen is suffering.  We have no food. Things are very expensive and parents are tired of buying products. The food that the association has brought will help the canteen for a while. Our wish is that there will be continuous contributions so that these children can eat their fill and develop normally like others », said Dr. Sogoyou Bekeyi, Director of the Take Wings Centre in Bè.

The director seized the opportunity to launch a heartfelt appeal to other organizations to follow AMAETRI's lead. « We say a sincere thank you to AMAETRI.  We take this opportunity to appeal to other associations and NGOs to lend us a hand. Let these children have health insurance and let us renovate the centres that are no longer adapted to their problem. The treatment rooms are dilapidated. The rooms are not ventilated. This means that children often have epileptic fits. We don't have the materials to accompany these children »,  pleaded Dr. Sogoyou Bekeyi. The Nyékonakpoè take-off centre also benefited from food and non-food items from AMAETRI.

The ENVOL Medical-Psycho-Pedagogical Centre is a special education centre for children and young people with mental disabilities. Its main aim is to improve the living conditions of the children by providing them with education and guidance in daily life practices that correspond to their needs.

Trisomy 21 or Down's syndrome is caused by a genetic abnormality, the presence of an extra chromosome 21 in the affected person's cells. People with Down's Syndrome have certain physical characteristics in common and most have intellectual disabilities and delayed psychomotor development.

Arnaud KONDO