SPECIAL NEEDS CENTRE THAT IS A LIFELINE FOR PARENTS MAY CLOSE
▶ Families anxious to save Fujairah’s Dimensions: ‘Our child will lose her chance of developing’
Families of children with special needs on the east coast of the UAE are appealing to the public to help keep the Dimensions Centre open after a lack of funds left it facing imminent closure.
Dimensions opened in Fujairah city in November 2015 to empower children who suffer from various disorders, and to help them adjust to school and their environment. It is described as a lifeline for parents of children who need extra care.
The centre now faces closure due to unpaid bills owing to a lack of financial support and the burden of offering free sessions and discounts of up to 50 per cent because many parents are unable to afford the fees.
“[The closure] cannot happen. My child will stop developing and her condition will deteriorate if the centre closes its doors,” said Welma De Leon, the 47-year-old Filipino mother of Elijah, 5, who has autism.
“My daughter has improved in an excellent way and started to speak and communicate after she began taking sessions at the centre and I don’t want her to stop developing,” said Ms De Leon, who lives in Kalba.
Elijah joined the centre in September last year. There was no fee because the family could not afford to pay it and in December they managed to get the support of the Red Crescent.
“The centre charges Dh200 per hour and we couldn’t afford that but the management approved to enrol our child for free for almost three months and then helped us to get financial support from the Red Crescent to keep our daughter at the centre,” she said.
“We are so grateful for what they have done for our daughter and how they managed to improve her skills, how they guide us on supporting her.
“If the centre closes, our daughter will lose her chances of progressing.”
Tamara Tagliapietra, who owns and manages the centre with her husband, Saleh Al Mansoori, said: “It’s hard to reject any case, so we keep on searching for other solutions and sometimes offer the sessions free. That got us into a financial crisis and we haven’t been able to pay bills since the start of the year.”
Another mother of an autistic child said that the centre helped her son, to the extent that he was able to attend school.
“I didn’t know that Hamdan was autistic until he was 4. I noticed that he was different and had speech and learning difficulties and the nurseries refused to take him in because of that. I took him to the Dimensions Centre were they helped him improve and taught me how to deal with him at home and outside,” said Halima Hilal, 36, an Emirati mother of three who lives in Fujairah.
“Now he is 6, and I’m so proud of him and of the centre, they exceeded my expectations. He has become more social, is using words to express himself and his behaviour has much improved. I can’t trust any other centres in the area and I can’t afford to move him to another emirate for treatment,” she said.
Twenty-one children between 3 and 15 are benefiting from the centre’s services and are developing new skills with the help of therapists, while 10 others are waiting to be sponsored to be able to join the centre.
“Three children are taking the sessions for free because their families can’t afford it and we had to give a 50 per cent discount to three other children whose parents could afford only half of the fees. One has a 40 per cent discount and another 35 per cent, six have a 25 per cent discount, one at 15 per cent discount and one more at 10 per cent,” Ms Tagliapietra said.
As well as Elijah’s Red Crescent sponsorship, three are being covered by the Government as one of their parents works for the Armed Forces, while one other family promised to pay as soon as they have money.
The centre needs thousands of dirhams to keep operating and sponsoring a child can cost between Dh38,600 and Dh57,600 per year for between four and six sessions a week – the frequency depends on the child’s disorder, age and the doctor’s recommendation.
A single mother who is waiting for a sponsor for her son who is hyperactive and has speech and language difficulties said her salary barely covers their daily expenses and she can’t afford the fees with two other children, 6 and 2, to look after.
“Mohammed is almost 4 and he didn’t get any therapy yet. I’m afraid that his condition will become worse. I went to the centre and they told me that they would love to help me, but they can’t right now due to some financial problems, so they put my son’s name on the waiting list hoping to get a sponsor,” said Zahia bin Zayed, from Tunisia, who lives in Fujairah.
Ms Tagliapietra said that they need about Dh350,000 now to keep the centre open for another year, which includes property rental fees, licences and the salaries of five specialists. “Last year we had a vision for a bigger centre to help those with special needs but now we are at risk of losing the current one,” Ms Tagliapietra said.
Ms Tagliapietra has asked anyone interested in helping to contact her on either 055 7471010 or 09 2242232, or via email at tamara@ dimensionsfuj.ae