A very special birthday celebration

THE Association of Handicapped Children of Brunei Darussalam (Kaca) held a celebratory gathering at the Pg Isteri Hajah Mariam Kaca centre in the capital yesterday to celebrate its patrons whose birthdays fell between the months of August and December last year.

Present at the gathering were Kaca Operations Director Hj Abd Alim Hj Othman and Kaca staff, volunteers, sponsors, parents and children.

Of the 82 invitees, 30 attended the birthday gathering which had fun-filled activities and began at two o'clock in the afternoon.

Along with creating an opportunity for the children to gather in a large group to cooperate and communicate with one another, this gathering also provided a chance for the parents to meet and discuss their children's progress with the instructors.

"Events such as these enhance the mothers' awareness of what the children go through as they are able to communicate with other mothers and they have the opportunity to better understand their own children," said Hj Abd Alim.

He also mentioned that during these events, the children are able to take part in activities with others and become more active alongside their peers. If not for these events, the children tend to become more reserved, which would make their development a lot slower.

Birthday celebrations such as these take place every three to four months and are funded by donations from the general public.

Mohd Zakwan, 8, whose birthday was on November 25, did not take part in the games that were held but seemed to be enjoying the joyous celebrations that were held for him and the other children.

"My son could not even talk at age four but upon joining Kaca, he has since been able to talk, although he still speaks in incomplete sentences," said his parents. "He doesn't know that this celebration is for him, though."

Nurul Raihan Hj Abd Latif, who just turned seven, said that she was thoroughly enjoying herself at the party. She mentioned that she loved playing the games that were hosted by McDonalds as she had just won a prize playing 'musical chairs'.

"Raihan had problems talking and walking before she was enrolled at Kaca in 2005 but she has improved so much in the years that she has been here," said her mother as she watched her daughter run around the room.

The Brunei Times