Mother on a mission for a special cause

The centre where special needs children can learn skills to equip them for life started 10 years ago and is now over-subscribed.

Director Safia Bari (2nd right) watches students do their work at the SNF Children Development Centre in Karama Center, Al Karama Dubai.

DUBAI // When Safia Bari's daughter, Nusrat, was born with mild cerebral palsy, she was determined her little girl would live as ordinary a life as possible. Instead, she found it a daily struggle to integrate her child with special needs into a society that did not seem to want to know. It also became apparent that there was very little support available for mothers in her position. Determined to improve the situation, she set up an informal support group that met in her living room where mothers could talk and share their problems. But Mrs Bari realised this was not enough. What was needed was something much more ambitious - a well-funded, fully staffed centre where older children with special needs could learn the skills to equip them for life. After a 10-year effort, Mrs Bari has seen her mission come to fruition. Now in its second year, the Special Needs Families Development Centre is over-subscribed and when its doors opened for the new term last week it had a waiting list. As the only facility of its kind in Dubai specifically geared to helping teenagers and adults with special needs, the demand has exceeded even her own expectations. Mrs Bari, the director, now hopes to expand quickly so more students can attend and she can achieve her ultimate aim of seeing those with special needs accepted into society. "Through my teaching and vocational programmes I hope to give confidence to the children and young adults who come to the centre. If only one of them gets a job and goes on to have some self-sufficiency in life then I will be overjoyed." The centre has 25 students, aged from 10 to 27. When a new student joins, the seven qualified teachers and three therapists assess them for a month. After this, an education programme is mapped out and each student is allowed to develop at their own speed. The centre is open between 8.30am and 12.30pm, during which time students learn computer skills and master basic office tasks, such as photocopying and binding. Some time is spent in speech therapy and the teaching of self-help skills, such as how to button shirts and tie laces, how to shake hands and how to display good manners. There is also a physical therapy room with an orthopaedic bed, a treadmill and space for yoga, as well as a small kitchen where baking and cookery classes take place. Mrs Bari said she tried to include as many activities as possible to keep the students' attention. "Although the children here are young adults, most have a low mental age and need constant stimulation. We change the classes around every 30 minutes and make sure they are always occupied," she said. "Nearly all of them have shown dramatic improvements since they began." Mrs Bari's own experiences were enough to convince her of the need for the centre. Her daughter Nusrat, now 26, often faced rejection when stepping out into the world. "It was so difficult. Many beauty salons turned us away when I took Nusrat. As she entered her teens she started putting on weight and I wanted to sign her up for a gym. We went along and were told point blank she was not welcome. It was very upsetting to see my child so rejected." It was then that Mrs Bari set up her informal support group. "Coming together and talking about it made a huge difference and we finally found strength in a group." She began organising picnics in the park and outings to local attractions. The group grew and Mrs Bari noticed a need for an educational facility for these children. " My background was in teaching so I was already passionate about education," she said. "I could see the need was there, all I needed was support." Her husband and two other daughters gave unstinting backing and through her large network of friends Mrs Bari began to garner corporate financial sponsors. In April 2007 her centre opened with five pupils. In the past year it has reached capacity and now has a waiting list of four. "We try to limit students to give them the best care possible. There are never more than two pupils to one teacher or volunteer. The idea is to nurture each individual." Mrs Bari remains reliant on charitable support. It costs Dh30,000 (US$8,100) to run the centre each month and all comes from donations. "People think I have a magic wand because when I ask for something I usually get it, but I credit my faith in God. All I want to do is help these young people through their difficult lives. I want to bring them a little happiness and have a place where they can come, enjoy themselves and feel like they are at home. "It would be good to expand so we could take more students and develop an area for arts and crafts for the boys, but for the moment we are very grateful for everything we have." If you would like to donate to the Special Needs Families Development Centre, you can email [e-mail] or telephone [phone]. [e-mail]