Imagine not being able to express your basic needs, your feelings, your frustrations, and your wants. This leads to severe outbursts, tantrums, and physical stress. Or not being able to walk outside without guidance, as crossing the street and running away is still a struggle. Now, imagine hearing that your child might need care 24 hours a day.

At the age of 6 months, we noticed a developmental delay and took measures by approaching pediatricians, speech and language therapists, and looking into many options for a child with extra needs, as early intervention has been proven to make a significant difference in a child’s future, despite the delay. Fast forward, and Rose is now 18 months old. She is not sitting, standing, or walking. She is delayed in her understanding of the world. She does not speak or call out for us, she does not see well, and only plays with one toy, which is bells. We have not been able to work on many skills as the waiting list for therapies is long, and she is only seen once a month, which is heart-wrenching. Therefore, we are looking into Kiki therapy, which would help her tremendously by closing the age gap between her and her peers and give her the skills she needs to become independent.

Kiki is the therapy for children with extra needs in South London. It focuses on an individual’s growth and progress, keeping in mind how to help the child become independent in the future and increase their quality of life by being able to work and attend mainstream school. What may seem like normal goals for one family might seem like an impossible task to achieve for another. We hope Rose will be able to express her feelings, become more aware, live independently, and just enjoy life in the future. Kiki comes with an expense; however, this is needed to achieve all of the above and give her a head start.

Thank you so much.

7.5% of all donations to Tree of Hope in relation to this appeal will be allocated to the general charitable purposes of Tree of Hope to cover our core operating costs.

If we raise insufficient funds, or surplus funds, then the funds will be used, if appropriate, to fund support for our child’s needs in accordance with Tree of Hope’s charitable objects. If in those circumstances we are unable to use all or part of the funds for the benefit of our child in accordance with Tree of Hope’s charitable objectives, then any funds that cannot be used will be transferred to be used for the general charitable purposes of Tree of Hope.