St. Vincent De Paul Contre, For the Mentally and Physically Challenged, which is being ' April 2001, was built by the Catholic Diocese of Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria. It is managed by the Congregation of the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy.

Goals and ObJectives

• Assisting the handicapped to focus attention on their abilities rather than on their disabilities;
• Giving the handicapped some degree of self-fulfilment and dignity;
• Equipping the handicapped with skills that will enable them later to be self-emploved and self-reliant.

Facilities

Accommodation is provided in the Centre, where the handicapped can live in small groups in little apartments. The inmates will be fed and maintained at the Centre. The Centre offers other services to meet the needs and wishes of mentally disabled children - from the ages of three to twelve. In the Centre, ability, experience and cordiality go hand in hand.

A Medical-Pedagogical Centre

For the mentally disabled children, the Centre offers education as well as medical, social and psychological services. All these have one purpose, viz: create happy children, able to take part in human society. The key to this is hope, communication and social formation.

The parents shall be very closely involved in this process. As a matter of fact, they have the first and the last responsibility.

Home Attendance

An early contact with mentally retarded children, a careful registration of their potentials and an early treatment can give many of them more chances of development, which are difficult to realize later on. The Centre will strive to attend to the mentally retarded in their homes before they attain the age of three.

Special School

Nursery and primary education are "special because of the methods and didactic mean normal education program. ised. On the other hand, the study program will approximate as much as possible se Teaching and learning will be in accordance with the capacity of each individual. If there are inmates of the Centre taking lesson in a normal school, they shall be attended by the St. Vincent de Paul Centre.

At the successful completion of their course, the inmates of the Centre shall be re integrated into their families and larger communities where they can have a senses belonging.

The Centre will also establish another department for the Physically Challenged. Their training program will cover such areas as secretarial studies, shoe making, tailoring woodwork, metalwork, craft, cane work etc. The Centre will also offer them accommodation. Their training will last for three years, leading to the award of a certificate.