March is National Disabilities Month. For many children with special needs in Sierra Leone, there is no hope. However, The Raining Season is a refuge. It is a place that welcomes ALL children with open arms and offers hope. At The Raining Season, The Hope Room is an apartment solely dedicated to caring for and nurturing children with special needs. The Hope Room provides a safe place for children to be loved and cared for well. They receive specialized nutrition to help them gain weight and grow, as well as top-notch medical care. We are thankful that other organizations in Sierra Leone are also working to support those with disabilities and working to remove the negative stigma often associated with disabilities.
This past Saturday, seven children and four staff members from the Hope Apartment had the opportunity to attend World Hope International’s second annual Enable the Children’s Beach Outing. This event invites families and children living with disabilities across Sierra Leone to help strengthen the community, empower families, and reduce the stigma. Approximately two thousand people attended the event this year, held at Lumley Beach in Freetown. During their time there, our children and staff enjoyed eating and dancing. There were also dance performances by groups as well as stories and testimonies from parents of some of the children with special needs. Mighty Blackpool Football Club from Freetown joined the event as well. Finally, there were speeches from government officials and other dignitaries, adult beneficiaries, and the Director of Enable the Children, Anna Vines.
World Hope International’s Facebook page shared, “At Enable the Children, we strive not only to encourage and equip children but to help them grow into adulthood. Each child obtains the tools and resources they can use to thrive and be successful.”
We are grateful that other organizations, like World Hope International, are working to support and advocate for some of the most vulnerable in Sierra Leone. Thank you, World Hope International, for inviting The Raining Season to your event. Thank you for your time and effort in planning this event for so many children and families in Sierra Leone. Our children and staff enjoyed the outing and the opportunity to connect with others.
Many blessings,
The Raining Season