Down Syndrome Foundation Picked for Future Awards

The Down Syndrome Foundation of Nigeria has been selected for the charity organisation for the Future Awards 2012. Each year, the Central Working Committee of The Future Awards chooses a charity organisation it intends to work with for the year while it seizes the opportunity to bring the attention of the public to various human conditions that exist in the society, which people can contribute their quota to change lives.

The Down Syndrome Foundation of Nigeria, the committee explained, is a non-profit organisation, which seeks to provide care for children with Downs Syndrome some of whom have been abandoned by their parents and society on the basis of culture, and myths that tend to stigmatise them.

Down Syndrome (DS) is a genetic condition involving an extra chromosome, which occurs around the time of conception. Globally, it is estimated that for every 800 babies born, one will have Down Syndrome. People with DS usually have a certain degree of learning disability (problem with reading, writing, communication and speech difficulty) and are also prone to medical problems (40 per cent-50 per cent of babies with DS are born with congenital heart problems), half of which require heart surgery.

"The Down Syndrome Foundation of Nigeria seeks to improve the children's lot in life by providing educational, rehabilitation and counseling services, which we believe will make. The educational assessment, which we offer the children reveals their strengths and weaknesses and bespoke care is arranged for each child since all children are not equal," it noted.

Donations are therefore expected from kindhearted individuals who would like to help in their unique way to augment the efforts, which the DSFN is undertaking to make life more meaningful to the children.

Meanwhile, the Future Awards 2012 will hold in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on 25 and 26 August as the Central Working Committee (CWC) has unveiled the shortlist of five people per category for the Awards.

Finalists and winners of each category will be unveiled at The Future Awards 2012 this weekend, where the keynote speaker will be one of Africa's most influential entrepreneurs, Chairman of Heirs Holdings and the Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, Tony Elumelu.

The Rivers State Government will host the Future Awards 2012, with support from Access Bank, Diamond Bank, Microsoft, and Notore. According to organisers, the event can be watched live from 2pm on the Sunday 26 on www.ynaija.com/thefutureawards.