Allan was the eighth resident of Precious Kids Center who moved in November of 2012. Out of all of the children in the house he is the only one that I met and brought home the same day.
When we first started PKC, we found that children were hard to find because of the cultural stigma that surrounds children with disabilities, so we used to go to the area chiefs to meet children. Allan’s grandmother, Anna, brought him to meet us and he just kept looking at me and smiling the entire time. Afterwards we drove them home and saw that Anna was not only caring for Allan, but for her mother and grandmother as well. She had a lot on her plate and was overwhelmed so we loaded Allan back up in the car and took him home.Allan has Cerebral Palsy, but he doesn’t let it hold him back one bit. From day one we have always been impressed with his confidence, persistence and independence. When he began getting regular therapy, his legs and arms became less stiff and he slowly gained more control of his movements.
Newton helping Allan do a little exercise in his walker
Allan spending some time in his stander.
Allan proudly showing off his sorting work at the fine motor therapy station.
We also were able to get him a surgery to loosen his Achilles tendons and give him more range of motion in his hips. It was a tough surgery, but Allan was an even tougher little guy. Now he uses a walker and walks all around the compound with ease.
Allan was thrilled to go for a little walk while he still had his casts on and wanted to take Dinah along for the ride.
Allan is also the one that got the ball rolling on starting the school at Precious Kids Center. Allan is a very bright boy who picks up new concepts quickly. I saw that he was ready for school and put him in a local primary school with some of the other boys from the center. Allan loved being around his peers and going to school, but there were a few things that happened and Allan told me that he did not want to go there again. This opened my eyes, yet again, to the fact that there are still many challenges to getting children with disabilities an education. So, what originally was just meant to be a preschool has now become Precious Kids School and will continue to grow as the children do each year until we get up to eighth grade.
Allan with Pascal, Frank, Newton and Augustus at his old school.
Allan is one of the most joyful human beings on the planet. He finds humor where most people would be frustrated. For example he finds it hilarious when it takes me a little longer to understand what he is saying and make ridiculous guesses. He is kind, loving and rowdy, as most twelve year olds are. He is a blessing to us at PKC and we are excited to see what God has planned for his future.
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