Country of Residence
Nigeria
Age
19
Project title
Early Steps, Brighter Future.
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
A community-driven initiative to improve awareness, early developmental monitoring, referral, and support for children with mild cerebral palsy in Nigeria, while helping families recognize developmental concerns early and connect with appropriate professionals
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
Project Category
My project is a brand new / emerging idea
Project Stage
Idea (We’re hoping to get started in the future)
Founding Story: What was the spark that led you to start your project? What was the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started and see the potential for this to succeed?
My interest in this issue began with someone very close to me: my younger brother named Shamsudeen, who has mild cerebral palsy. Growing up, I saw how easily developmental differences can be misunderstood, overlooked, or treated as something a child would simply “outgrow.” That experience made me start asking questions. Are babies routinely monitored for developmental milestones at important stages such as 3, 6, 9 and 12 months? When a developmental concern is noticed, do families know where to go next? Is there a clear pathway connecting families to paediatricians, physiotherapists and other professionals? The more I learned, the more I realized that the challenge was not only cerebral palsy itself. It was also awareness, early identification, referral and access to the right support. That became my “aha” moment: instead of waiting until children are significantly affected before intervention begins, we can help families and communities recognize developmental concerns earlier and create stronger pathways to support. This project grew from a personal experience into a desire to help other children and families avoid the confusion, stigma and missed opportunities that can come with delayed recognition and support.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
Cerebral palsy is a lifelong neurological condition, but the challenges children and families experience can be made worse when developmental concerns are identified late or families do not know where to seek help. In many communities in Nigeria today, parents may not recognize early developmental warning signs, while healthcare systems can face challenges including limited awareness, time constraints, inadequate coordination and unclear referral pathways between healthcare professionals and rehabilitation services. This can delay access to physiotherapy, paediatric care and other interventions that may support a child's development and participation. This matters deeply to me because I have seen the reality of mild cerebral palsy within my own family. I understand how difficult it can be when families have questions but lack clear information about what is happening and what steps to take next. The problem is therefore bigger than awareness alone. We need communities that understand developmental milestones, families that feel empowered to raise concerns, and systems that make it easier to move from identification to appropriate support. So, My project focuses on closing that gap, beginning with awareness and community advocacy and working toward stronger early-development referral pathways.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
Early Steps, Brighter Futures will use community education, digital advocacy and partnerships with healthcare and rehabilitation professionals to improve early recognition and support for children with mild cerebral palsy. The project will begin by developing simple, culturally relevant educational materials for parents, caregivers, students and community members. These materials will explain developmental milestones, possible warning signs, the importance of developmental monitoring and when a parent should seek professional assessment. I will also organize awareness sessions through schools, youth communities, social media and community-based organizations. Rather than presenting cerebral palsy only as a medical condition, these sessions will address stigma, inclusion and the importance of supporting children without labeling or excluding them. A key part of the project will be mapping existing referral resources and speaking with relevant professionals, including pharmacists, doctors, physiotherapists and other rehabilitation specialists, to understand where gaps exist between identifying a developmental concern and receiving appropriate support. As the project develops, I aim to create a simple referral and resource guide that families can use to understand their next steps and identify appropriate services in their communities. The long-term goal is to build a community-supported model that can be adapted to other developmental disabilities and used to strengthen conversations around early childhood development in Nigeria.
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
Since it's an early stage, the issue has already led me to conduct research, develop a clearer understanding of the barriers families face, and begin using advocacy and digital communication to create conversations around cerebral palsy and disability inclusion. My personal experience with my younger brother has also given me a deeper understanding of the emotional and practical challenges families can face. Over the next stage, I want to measure impact through clear indicators rather than only counting social media views. These will include the number of parents, young people and community members reached through awareness activities; the number of people who demonstrate improved knowledge of developmental warning signs; the number of professionals and organizations engaged; and the number of families connected to reliable resources. My initial goal is to reach at least 500 people through digital and community awareness activities, engage healthcare and rehabilitation professionals, and develop a practical resource/referral guide for families.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
The innovation is not simply creating another cerebral palsy awareness campaign. Early Steps, Brighter Futures focuses on the gap between awareness, early recognition and action. Many awareness efforts focus primarily on explaining what cerebral palsy is. This project asks a practical question: after a parent notices that something may be different about their child's development, what happens next? The project brings together three elements: simple developmental education for families, community-based disability advocacy, and exploration of clearer referral pathways to appropriate healthcare and rehabilitation professionals. It also places lived experience at the center of the work. My motivation comes from growing up with a younger brother with mild cerebral palsy, allowing the project to be shaped not only by research but also by the realities families experience. Another innovative aspect is the use of youth-led digital advocacy. Social media, storytelling and accessible educational content can make information about developmental monitoring and disability inclusion easier for young parents, caregivers and community members to encounter and understand. Rather than creating a completely separate system, the project aims to connect people with existing healthcare and rehabilitation resources while identifying where those systems are difficult for families to navigate. If successful, the model could eventually be adapted beyond cerebral palsy to other developmental disabilities and early-childhood support needs.
How many people are on your team?
1
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
I am currently the core team member and project lead. I lead the research, advocacy, content development, community engagement and overall direction of the project. As the project develops, I plan to build a multidisciplinary team involving healthcare and rehabilitation professionals, students, disability advocates and community volunteers. Leadership will be collaborative, with team members contributing expertise and taking ownership of specific areas like the OCDF team in Ikoyi
What’s Next: What are the next steps you plan to take to grow or strengthen your project over the next year? If your project is still in the idea stage, describe the steps you will take over the next three months to launch or begin developing it.
First, I will conduct further research on developmental monitoring and referral practices in Nigeria and speak with healthcare and rehabilitation professionals to better understand existing gaps. Second, I will develop simple educational resources covering developmental milestones, early warning signs, cerebral palsy, disability inclusion and pathways for seeking professional support. Third, I will launch small community and digital awareness activities targeting parents, caregivers, young people and students. I will track participation and feedback so that the project can improve based on what communities actually need. I also plan to build partnerships with healthcare professionals, physiotherapists, disability organizations, schools, youth organizations and community groups. These partnerships will help ensure that information shared is accurate and that families can be directed toward appropriate services. Finally, I want to develop a practical resource and referral guide that can be shared digitally and through community activities.
How do you encourage other people to join your project or learn about the problem you’re working on? If you have a new idea, tell us how you will do this in the future.
I believe people are more likely to take action when they can connect an issue to a real human experience. I use storytelling, social media advocacy, conversations and educational content to make cerebral palsy and disability inclusion easier to understand and harder to ignore. I will encourage people to participate by creating simple, shareable educational content, organizing community conversations and awareness sessions, and inviting students, healthcare professionals, disability advocates and young people to contribute their knowledge and experiences.
