Nyssa Early Learning and Special Education

Dear Donors,

These previous months (February, March, April), we were able to strengthen ongoing programs and expand mental health support for children and families in our community. We are grateful for your partnership as we continue working with a growing number of children through Nyssa.

Recently, we welcomed a young child whom we will call Chris for privacy. Chris joined our program after showing difficulties with social communication and emotional engagement.

Before coming to Nyssa, Chris was rarely talking to friends or instructors. He often appeared withdrawn and struggled to engage in group activities and social moments, making it hard for him to participate confidently in learning and daily interaction.

His family reached out to Nyssa after noticing these challenges at home, especially during moments that required him to communicate, respond, or interact with others.

A Success Story That Changed Everything

Chris’ early sessions focused on helping him feel emotionally safe while slowly building confidence to communicate with others.

We used child-friendly strategies such as:

• structured routines and predictable session flow
• gentle encouragement without pressure
• play-based support to help him connect with friends and instructors
• simple prompts and cues to support communication

Over time, Chris began to engage more actively. Today, Chris has started to talk more and play with friends and instructors. Instead of staying quiet and withdrawn, he now participates in activities and responds to friendly interactions. For Chris, communication and social participation are no longer only challenges, they are becoming possibilities.

This matters to us because learning and social participation become hard for children when they feel unsafe, anxious, or emotionally overwhelmed. When children receive consistent support such as emotional safety, gentle encouragement, and play-based learning they slowly gain confidence. As their confidence grows, they start to communicate better, join in with others, and learn more effectively.

Overview

Through our Making Learning Possible program, we help children to:

• feel emotionally safe
• understand and express their feelings
• build confidence to engage with learning again
• develop coping skills that support emotional regulation

What Your Support Helped Us Do These Past Months

Because of your support, we were able to:

• provide direct sessions with children focused on social communication, confidence, and emotional regulation
• guide caregivers with strategies for supporting their child emotionally at home
• support staff learning so our team continues improving child-friendly counseling techniques
• provide learning and play materials used during sessions

Collaboration for Arts-Based Healing (Abuse & Trauma Identification)

Through this collaboration, we reached:

• 25 children with various challenges
• 7 staff members from different organizations

This work strengthened early identification and provided a supportive approach for healing through creativity and expression.

Who You Reached This Month

Because of you, we were able to support:

• 32 children directly through counseling and learning support
• 1 additional child through referrals and shared materials
• 8 caregivers who received emotional guidance and practical support
• 7 NGO staff/teachers/community workers engaged in child mental health discussions

Total individuals reached: 48

Thank You

Because of you:

• Chris now talks and plays with friends and instructors
• children feel safer to engage and express themselves
• learning became possible
• and children facing difficult experiences could be supported through arts-based healing

Dear donors, 

This month, we have been able to strengthen existing programs and expand access to mental health services for children and families within our community. We want to share with you the story of one of the most recent members of Nyssa.

In January, we began working with a young autistic child who also has ADHD under our Making Learning Possible program. For privacy, we’ll call him James. Before coming to us, James found it extremely difficult to stay still, focus on one activity, or regulate his emotions. His mother told us that at home and in school, he rarely stayed in one place for more than a minute.

He was brought to us through a referral from DIBA Holistic Wellness Care Organization, another NGO in Buea, which contacted us directly after meeting the family and learning about James’ challenges with attention, emotional regulation, and learning.

One Moment That Changed Everything

During one of James’ early sessions, we used structured play, visual cues, and calming routines designed for autistic children with attention difficulties. We worked gently, without pressure and no forced sitting. 

One day, after a day full of activity in the center, something new happened. James sat in the same position, fully engaged, for over three minutes. When his mother arrived to pick him up she noticed, and she was shocked. She later wrote to us:

“I have never seen him sit like that before. Even one minute is hard. Seeing him calm and focused made me believe that maybe he can learn.”

That one minute of sitting and his mother’s reaction is why we do what we do.

Learning is hard when a child feels unsafe, anxious, or emotionally overwhelmed.

Overview:

Our Making Learning Possible program helps children:

• Feel emotionally safe
• Understand and express their feelings
• Build confidence to engage with learning again

We combine emotional support with simple learning activities, so children don’t feel pressure and are continously encouraged.

What your support helped us do

• Direct sessions with children, focused on emotional regulation, confidence, and coping skills
• Caregiver guidance, helping parents understand how to support their child emotionally at home
• Staff learning, where our team practiced child-friendly counseling techniques to better respond to children like James
• Basic learning materials, used during sessions and shared with families

Who you reached in January 

Because of you, we were able to support: 

• 7 children directly through counseling and learning support
• 2 additional children through referrals and shared materials
• 6 caregivers who received emotional guidance and practical support
• 3 NGO staff, teachers, and community workers engaged in discussions about child mental health

Total individuals reached: 18

Thank You

Because of you, one child sat calmly for three minutes

Because of you, one mother found hope

Because of you, learning became possible