Meet Dao. She started out a healthy child, but when she was 2 years of old she suffered a number of episodes resulting in deterioration in movement, reflex and communication. Her mother provides full-time care and her father, a chef earns just $100 per month. With such a small budget the family has been unable to afford medical testing. It’s likely Dao has suffered a number of strokes and is at risk of more in the future.

Her family are unable to afford educational toys or adaptive equipment so Dao has nothing at home to help her develop whilst any help her family can provide is frustratingly limited.

The Lifestart Foundation’s Free Disability Community Centre has adapted to accommodate Dao, seeing her 3 times a week.

Simple things could make a huge difference to her progress. A wooden table and chair (cost $10) will help her sit, improve balance, strengthening muscles and much more. A range of educational toys (cost $100) to use whilst sitting at her table will help improve coordination, the use of her hands, balance, aid learning and most importantly provide lots of fun!

The Lifestart Foundation hopes to provide these things with your help alongside a ‘custom made walker’ (cost $180) for Dao to use to move around on her own whilst strengthening her legs and getting used to moving them in certain ways, helping her prepare to hopefully walk again.