Meet Meryjosefa Wahlang, she’s 4 years old and has deafblindness. Born to a lovely family living in the breathtakingly beautiful South Khasi Hills in Meghalaya she is much loved by her three sisters and one brother. Meryjosefa missed a lot of developmental milestones after she was born like she wasn’t able to crawl, and her parents grew worried that something is wrong. She was diagnosed with Deafblindness and Cerebral Palsy. Her parents suffered a huge emotional setback and questioned why them? Living in a small village, having financial constraints and being unaware of the disability became obstacles in getting necessary intervention for their daughter.
We met Meryjosefa in October of 2019 with the help of our partner organisation Bethany Society. She was weak and couldn’t even sit by herself. She would have frequent episodes of Epilepsy which drained her out of energy. Cerebral Palsy affected her muscle tones and deafblindness resulted in a severe communication gap. Over a few months, our project team has been able to help Meryjosefa in retaining health by making sure she meets all her nutritional needs. She is also receiving medicines to reduce the frequency of epileptic episodes.
Meryjosefa Wahlang
Through regular home visits of community-based rehabilitation workers, Meryjosefa’s mother is learning to involve her in activities such as identifying common vegetables, fruits as well as giving attention to her personal hygiene. Parents have also received training from rehabilitation professionals in correct positioning of Meryjosefa while sitting as well as basic exercises to develop the habit of sitting and improve their daughter's balance. Her parents have been guided to apply for a disability certificate as soon she turns five this year. Many children like Meryjosefa go unnoticed and unchecked. Help us reach out to more children with deafblindness so that early intervention can lead to a successful life.
Contact us for more details (info@senseintindia.org)