While in the economic capital for the Port-Gentil 10 km event, of which the Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Foundation for the Family is a partner, Simone Mensah, its executive vice-president, took the opportunity to visit the partner organizations of the organization created by the First Lady of Gabon.

At the Xavier Center for Special Education, founded and managed by the NGO Agir pour le Handicap à l'École, winner of the Foundation's Agathe Okumba d'Okwatségué encouragement prize in 2022, she and her delegation were able to learn about the realities of caring for children with physical or intellectual disabilities, especially autistic or Down syndrome children. She praised the experiences carried out by the partner NGO for the professional reintegration through the learning of small trades and for the preparation of the inclusion of some children in regular classes with partner establishments.

The Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Foundation for the Family being a partner of the National School for Hearing Impaired Children in Libreville, Simone Mensah visited the similar school recently built in the Provincial Directorate of Social Affairs of Ogooué-Maritime. Built by the operator TotalEnergies E.P. Gabon in the framework of Corporate Social Responsibility, it welcomes hearing impaired children. A structure which, said Carine Dibata, Provincial Director of Social Affairs, is part of the policy of equal opportunities dear to the Head of State.

As a reminder, the Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Foundation for the Family, since 2010, has set up a program called Solidarity Disability for people living with disabilities to facilitate their socio-economic integration and to support civil society organizations working in the same direction.

Photo: Family photo at the Xavier Center of Specialized Education.

Fidèle AFANOU EDEMBE