"A Place Where Parents Come Together"

In Osun State, Nigeria, children with disabilities often face stigma, limited access to services, and delayed development due to a lack of early intervention. To address this, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health partnered to integrate disability-inclusive care into existing systems - bringing Baby Ubuntu in to provide early support and promote inclusion for children and their families.

The initiative has already reached 50 families in its pilot phase. At the heart of that work is Oluyemisi Victor-Adedokun, one of the Baby Ubuntu facilitators, a nurse, and a parent of a child with cerebral palsy herself.

"As a Baby Ubuntu facilitator who is a nurse and a caregiver with a child with disability, Baby Ubuntu has enlightened me on the need to be intentional about early childhood care and development. It's a practical training programme for caregivers and health professionals carefully organized to improve the health of early childhood development, and it has a strong evidence base"

Her other colleagues also see the benefits of the programme. For Faridat Adegoke, Baby Ubuntu is more than clinical support. It is about what happens when parents who share the same struggles finally find each other.

"For the parents, I see this support group as an avenue - a place where parents in the same position can come together and share experiences. We talk about our children's conditions. We share our stories, our pains, and our successes together."

"Some parents see this group as somewhere they can come to find relief from the stress involved in this journey. That is why it matters so much."