We have received the following email from our member in Zambia, Esther Mundia, we hope you will find it of interest.
Dear Sir or Madam,
My name is Esther Mundia. I am the Founder of Munu Ka Yumbwa Cerebral Palsy Association (MYCEPA), a Zambian charitable organization. “Munu Ka Yumbwa” loosely translated means “A Human Being Cannot be discarded” or “Every Person Has Value”. My son, Temba, is now 30 years old and has cerebral palsy condition. I have battled to have him accepted in the community we live in, where stigma is still attached to cerebral palsy and disability, Temba is now co-founder and the Spokesperson for MYCEPA. I have learned that cerebral palsy requires a daily dose of physiotherapy and other treatments with the child from an early age to produce tangible results. After many years of fighting for these children, I can say we have made good progress but a lot more needs to be done.
With the help of a donor from Belgium, we managed to register MYCEPA as an organization in 2007 and acquired a piece of land for the project site. We have since embarked on building a Rehabilitation Centre of Excellence to cater for children with cerebral palsy condition and other disabilities. To date, we have achieved an almost functional structure with the help of the Norwegian Church/JCP. However, more needs to be done before the structure is completed and commissioned. In the meantime, we use the structure to offer therapy for the children and awareness sessions to the parents within our catchment area. We have 20 children registered so far.
MYCEPA is supported by a cross-section of people both locally and internationally. These are dedicated members who believe that change is possible. MYCEPA believes that in spite of their condition, children with disabilities are humans and deserve to be treated as such, with love, respect and dignity.
Our desire is to finalize this Rehabilitation Centre of Excellence. To achieve this, we need assistance from well-wishers, sympathizers and those who are working in the area of cerebral palsy and disability all over the world. Our children and their parents will benefit from your partnering with us and together we can bring the change that we wish to see and you will help us make our dream come true.
MYCEPA values contributions from all stakeholders, partners and donors who invest their time, trust and resources towards helping those who cannot speak for themselves and depend on others to highlight their plight. We give you our utmost assurance that your contributions will be used for the intended purpose and we are giving you the privilege to be part of this important project.
We would be very pleased to answer any of your questions and possibly to meet you at MYCEPA.
For more information, please find MYCEPA flyer attached.
We thank you for your time and consideration.
Yours faithfully,
For MYCEPA
Esther Mundia