God’s Care School for Special Needs, the only school for the deaf and dumb in the capital city of Awka, will soon close down if assistance fails to come from government as well as private individuals and corporate organisations.

The school, which was established in 2000 by Mrs. Justina Ndife and her husband, Evangelist Afam, has over the years been training people with disabilities using their meager resources.

When the school became popular among the residents of the Anambra State capital, many parents with children with disabilities started sending them there and because they consider such children as liabilities, they abandon them with the proprietors, thereby forcing them to take care of all their needs.

Speaking with journalists in Awka on Thursday, Mrs. Ndife lamented that though several letters had been written to the State Government and other individuals to come to the aid of the school, the needed assistance has yet to come. She stressed that the resources for running the school have been stretched beyond limit such that the school may be forced to close down if assistance fails to come it way as soon as possible.

Mrs. Ndife said: “The only assistance the school has received from government was during the administration of the immediate past governor of the state, Mr. Peter Obi, who donated a bus and a computer to the school.

“This school was primarily established to cater for the hearing impaired (the deaf and dumb) within Awka and its environs since there was no such school in the area. My husband and I were motivated to establish the school when we started seeing such children roaming about the streets and begging, when their age mates were in school.

“Today, we have a population of 94 pupils who have different forms of disabilities. Due to the poverty level of some of the parents of these children, the school resolved not to collect fees from them and so we took it upon ourselves to cater for their needs.

“Our greatest worry is that the school is under severe pressure and threat of closing down due to lack of funds to sustain it and keep the pupils in dormitories so that they will not be thrown out to the streets again.”

Mrs. Ndife further listed some of the needs of the school to include computer sets, sewing, designing, weaving and grinding machines, as well as gas/electric cookers, carpentry tools, hair dryers, shoe-making tools, among others for its skills acquisition center.

•Photo shows Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State.

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