With October being Down Syndrome Awareness Month, Esperanza Special Needs School celebrated the occasion with fun and games.
Raising awareness of this condition and promoting inclusion and acceptance of those who have Down Syndrome were the goals of the awareness campaign.
School principal Jennifer Pillay spoke very positively about her special needs students.
“The two kids with Down Syndrome who attend our school are exceptionally gifted, clever, imaginative and devoted. As educators and parents, we need to be their ray of light, encouraging others in our communities to accept their autistic and Down Syndrome children as well,” said Pillay. She went on to say that parents and the community at large should accept and love their children who have special needs, as well as be patient with them and treat them in the same way as their siblings.
In closing, she expressed gratitude to her personal assistant, Lamees Sema, for her unwavering work ethic and to Monique van der Walt and her husband for contributing the much-needed jungle gym for the kids. “Thank you so much to the parents who took time to come and spend the day with us, making it extra special,” she concluded.
It was a fun-filled day at the school for the parents, teachers and children, as they competed in tug-of-war, an egg and spoon race, as well as a sack race.
