Peter Uzoho
Multiple award winning actress, model and entrepreneur, Efeilomo Michelle Irele has reiterated commitment to her humanitarian project for autistic children.
Last year, the actress, commonly known as Efe Irele launched her foundation, ‘Efe Irele Autism Foundation’ which aims to cater and create awareness about children with autism in the society, and follows it up with a yearly gathering title: Christmas with the Family’, to celebrate children with the ailment.
According to Efe Irele, this year’s party has been scheduled to hold on December 26 at a yet to be determined venue.
“Autism is not a disease; and it is not something that people should be ashamed of,” she explained.
She said she is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that children in the foundation get the best of care, revealing that her love for her brother who is autistic – a condition that includes impairments in social interaction and developmental language and communication skills among others, motivated her to launch the foundation.
“Having witnessed first-hand, the stigmatisation melted out to my brother while he was growing up, the need to educate and enlighten the society on autism became paramount,” she said.
She noted that no many parents, particularly mothers without the knowledge of medicine would notice the disorder would be able to notice it when they give birth, noting that her mother could do so because she belonged to the field of medicine.
Efe Irele further said: “When my mother gave birth to my brother, she noticed it because she was in the medical line; she knew what autism is about, but many that are not in that field will not know. She educated me, though I was really young, but I understand the whole thing.
“I am proud to take my brother out; we go to places and I am proud to talk about him. If you are meeting me for the first time, you will know in less than 10 minutes conversation that I have a-special-needs brother that I am so proud to talk about him.
