Digicel Foundation sponsors children's therapy equipment

THE Digicel Foundation and Caribbean Kids and Families Therapy Organisation (CKFTO) have teamed up again to increase support for children with disabilities in central and south Trinidad.

The foundation has provided $60,000 to CKFTO to buy critical occupational therapy (OT) equipment for its Chaguanas clinic, said a media release.

This donation will outfit the clinic with specialised sensory occupational therapy tools, enabling it to offer comprehensive therapies, programmes, and services to children in Chaguanas and surrounding areas. Families who previously had to travel to Port of Spain will now have easier access to much-needed support, close to home, the release said.

Sophia Figueroa-Leon, vice-chair and co-founder of CKFTO, estimates that approximately 140 children will benefit from these services on a monthly basis.

“The clinic will provide therapies and programmes for children from birth to 21 years of age with conditions such as autism, sensory processing disorders, ADHD, and Down syndrome. This initiative will make a real difference for children who need occupational therapy services," Figueroa-Leon said in the release.

During a recent site visit to the CKFTO clinic, Digicel Foundation project officer Diana Mathura-Hobson said, “Projects like these, which increase access to therapies for families and children with disabilities, are exactly the type of interventions we invest in.”

In December 2023, the Digicel foundation sponsored specialised training in the US for two of CKFTO’s therapists, the release said.

The partnership with CKFTO is part of the foundation’s ongoing commitment to supporting people with disabilities and the organisations that provide services to them.