The mother, Adama Barry, is taking care of her special needs children all by herself after their father abdicated his responsibilities and has not been seen for more than a decade now. Besides being on the autism spectrum, Adama Barry’s two children are also blind.

Tipped by a colleague who had heard of Adama’s story, the Founder of Klicks Africa Foundation, Mary Kuffuor, as a parent of a child with special needs herself, saw the need to do something life-changing for Adama.

“When we met, I knew right from the beginning it was going to be very difficult for her to work because she has become the caregiver for these two children,” Mrs Kufuor says.

“I also visited them in the house and I noticed that where they were staying wasn’t very conducive. I asked myself immediately what we can do? Because I couldn’t just tell her to go and try therapy: where is she going to get the money from and how is she going to sustain it?”

Determined to help Adama, Mrs. Kuffuor, through her foundation’s Facebook page, appealed to friends, colleagues, and other members of the public to help raise funds to support Adama’s family.

“We did a four-minute video on Facebook and then I used the opportunity to appeal to all of my friends that follow my page to donate so that we can do something to change this young lady’s life,” she says.

Within 24 hours, GHS 24,000 had been raised through Facebook and Klicks Africa Foundation added GHS 13,000 to make a sum of GHS 37,000. The funds were then used to purchase the Toyota Vitz vehicle, which was registered in Adama’s name for use as a taxi.

Adama, mother of 12-year-old Mariama and eight-year-old Baba, received the car at the offices of Klicks Africa Foundation in Accra on April 23, 2021. She says even though she dreamt of starting a taxi business, she did not think it would become a reality this quickly.

“It’s a big relief,” she says. “Thank you, thank you to all of you.”

She added: “I hope this is an inspiration for every mother out there who is so frustrated with kids like Baba and that there is always hope. I keep on saying, don’t hide your [special needs] child; don’t be ashamed of your child and don’t listen to what people say, that you are a curse, or that you didn’t do well in life. Nobody should make you feel that way.”

The Foundation has paid an amount of GH¢7,200 for a two-year rent advance for both them.

TV3 on Sunday, May 17 aired the plight of the two after our reporter Esi Benewaa Otoo visited them on May 15, 2020 at their residence at Ashongman, a suburb of Accra.

One of their biggest worries was where to go because they were served with eviction notice and didn’t have any hope.

But that will not be a worry now as Klicks Africa Foundation, an NGO that trains youth with special needs in vocation skills, made a donation to cover their rent.

Presenting the cash to the two, Executive Director of Klicks Africa Foundation Mrs Mary Amoah Kuffuor indicated how she was touched by the report on TV3 especially in this Covid-19 period.

She expressed gratitude to all who contributed to make the donation possible.

Madam Asabea Atupiri-Darko and her son Caleb expressed gratitude for the gesture.

Others who want to remain anonymous have also made some cash donations.

Caleb is a football fanatic and would not miss any match featuring Asamoah Gyan.

Persons with Autism have difficulties with three main areas of life; communication, social interaction and behaviour. What most people don’t know is that a lot of skills are essential to make any person successful in these areas. Klicks Africa Foundation considers the most fundamental skills like attention and listening skills, play and interaction skills, sensory integration, postural control, amongst others to be able to tackle the problems persons with Autism face from the roots.

At Klicks, we take the time to know each individual personally; to identify likes, strengths, shortfalls, talents amongst others. These help us to construct tailor-made interventions to meet specific needs and address holistic development. We care on a deeper level.

It’s no hidden fact that so many people do not know how to handle Autism, so we appreciate those who try. Klicks Africa also works hard to educate parents, teachers, facilitators and all stakeholders in the Autism community to enable and empower them to care for persons with Autism. At Klicks Africa Foundation we don’t claim to have all the answers, however we are relentless in our pursuit of them because People with Autism are our priority.

Below is a link to the publication on myjoyonline.com

Klicks Africa Foundation marks World Autism Day with uplifting message

The award was presented by Neogenics Education on 31st August, 2019 at Holiday Inn Hotel, Accra.

Autism Works

Our Practical Assessment Exploration System (PAES®) employment assessment program at ARC helps people with autism find fulfilling and enriching employment. This 11 week program allows adults with autism to try realistic, entry-level jobs they may never have attempted before. The assessments assist in growing hands-on skills and self-confidence.

The ARC Supported Independent Employment Program, the follow-up program to PAES®, is a supported employment program specifically designed for young adults on the autism spectrum who are interested in preparing for, finding and securing work. We carefully match a person’s values, interests and skills/abilities to employers seeking qualified job seekers and offering competitive employment.

The Building Block Program is designed to address service gaps that exist for young adults from the Indigenous community on the autism spectrum. The intention of this program is to support individuals in the transition from high school into employment.

Independent Living Program

Independent Living Program (ILP) is a person-centred program to help our members increase their independence in the community. Each participant gets to set their own goals and work towards skills that will help them become independent at home or in the community. Skill areas that can be addressed are social skills, budgeting, time management, personal hygiene, relationships and intimacy, meal planning, cooking, healthy lifestyle, and many other areas.

Cooking Program

ARC’s Cooking Program increases independence in food planning, preparation, following recipes, time-management skills and team work. Individuals work with a cooking coach to complete a recipe and enjoy the prepared meal as a group.

PEERS® Social Skills Program for Young Adults

PEERS® is a 16-week evidence-based social skills intervention program developed at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience. It targets specific skills to assist people to learn how to make and keep friends.

We Belong

Our mental wellness program offers free counselling to our members from Ehrlo Counselling. It also provides art, music and yoga therapy classes as well as interactive education sessions for our Parent Support Group.

Social Drop In Program

This program for adults with autism encourages and develops social skills in a natural, fun and engaging environment. Young adults meet every Wednesday evening to share interests, participate in social activities of their own choosing and spend time with others. Social Drop-In does a wide variety of activities that encourage engagement with our local community and each other.

Chill and Connect

Chill and Connect runs every Tuesday afternoon from 1:30-4:00 pm and provides a comfortable environment for young adults to come hang out, play games, socialize and to just get out of their house for an afternoon.

Ladies Night

ARC now offers a monthly Ladies Night for young women with autism as a means to meet and share experiences that are unique to women on the spectrum.

Improv for Autism

Globe Theatre and the Autism Resource Centre partnered to develop an Improv for Autism class that is held on site at the Globe Theatre. This is a fantastic environment with great instructors to allow individuals to try out improvisation activities and develop some spontaneity in themselves.

Individuals must meet the following:

• Ages 18 to 35;
• A diagnosis on the autism spectrum;
• Are able to commit to attend scheduled ARC sessions; and
• Have a valid ARC Membership.

Before accessing our programs and services, our program team will meet with each individual so we can learn more about you and make a plan for how our programs can help you reach your goals. To set up a meeting, please call or email us, 306-569-0858, info@autismresourcecentre.com.

A parent initiative that supports autism cause in Ghana.
The foundation seeks to support parent initiatives and has set up a research library at the facility to reach out to parents, health professionals and teachers.

The three year long initiative will also make available an e-training programme with online coaching on mental health.
QualityRights in Mental Health is a WHO initiative implemented by the Mental health Authority together with its partners including the Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service, Inclusion Ghana, Basic Needs-Ghana and the UK Aid.