( ENSPIRE Community Spotlight ) SFS Volunteers Provide Sustainable Care For Children With Disabilities In Ghana
ENSPIRE Contributor: Gabrielle Maya
In the wise words of Sandy Dorsey, founder of Smiles for Speech (SFS), “Together, we can build a world where every child’s unique light shines brightly.” Children with disabilities are defined by what they can’t do but not by what they are capable of and how they can achieve more than you expect. Smiles for Speech (SFS) is committed to empowering caregivers and providing access to developmentally appropriate resources to support children with disabilities. Given by expert professional volunteers worldwide, SFS ensures long-term sustainable solutions.
SFS recently announced their upcoming mission trip to Project Ghana, scheduled for July 27th-August 5th, 2025. This project initiative will focus on high-quality, sustainable care and resources for children with disabilities and their caregivers in Ghana.
According to Dorsey, the significance of the trips is that “Our mission trips are one of a kind. We take pride in what we do to ensure that every child and their family receives high-quality, sustainable care. As you know, our trips wouldn’t be a success without our team. That’s why we ensure each person has a safe, pleasant, and life-changing experience when they join our mission to impact the world.” Project Ghana volunteers will work directly with children and their caregivers to provide critical support, foster inclusion, and spread joy.
Dorsey shares with us the creation of Smiles for Speech and the unexpected takeaways of spreading awareness of disabilities. She mentions the materials and resources given to SFS to provide caregivers and children with disabilities. In addition, Dorsey delves into Project Ghana and its focus on sustainable care. Lastly, she details their challenges in Project Ghana, how to empower caregivers, the Smiles for Speech Scholars Study Abroad Program, and more.
Please share with us the creation of Smiles for Speech, where it stemmed from, and what were unexpected takeaways when spreading awareness of disabilities.
The creation of Smiles for Speech was a deeply personal journey for me, rooted in my experiences working with underserved communities in New York City. After providing speech therapy for 25 years, I wanted to reach children globally and support families that may have never heard of a speech pathologist. Smiles for Speech was born from a desire to bridge this gap and provide support to families who didn’t have access to the resources we have in the US.
One of the most unexpected takeaways from this journey has been the stigma surrounding disabilities worldwide. In many cultures, disabilities are misunderstood and can be seen as a spiritual curse, with blame often unfairly placed on mothers. Unfortunately, this stigma leads to children being hidden away, neglected, and not seen as valuable in their communities.
I’ve been inspired by the resilience and strength of the mothers I’ve met. While some may feel overwhelmed and struggle to cope, many become fierce advocates for their children, eager to learn the speech/language strategies that can make a difference. Their determination is a powerful reminder that our support can have a profound impact. For instance, one mother we worked with not only embraced the strategies we shared but went on to train 150 other mothers, creating a ripple effect of empowerment and change for her village. This experience has magnified the importance of community and how much we can accomplish when we come together to support one another.
What forms of materials and resources are given through SFS that have helped caregivers and children with disabilities thus far?
At Smiles for Speech, we provide various resources that empower caregivers and children with disabilities. One of the most impactful resources we offer is training for mothers, equipping them with strategies to support their children at home. This training empowers mothers who often feel helpless to participate actively in their child’s development and helps them build confidence in their abilities and ability to make a difference.
Another huge aspect of our support is teaching parents the importance of play. Although playing with children is not a common practice in some cultures, it is essential for nurturing a child’s language development. Play is a child’s occupation, so we work alongside occupational therapists to help families integrate play into their daily lives.
We also ensure that our materials are culturally responsive by incorporating elements from the child’s culture. This approach makes the resources more impactful and respects and honors the diverse backgrounds of the families we work with.
Project Ghana focuses on providing sustainable care for children with disabilities. Can you elaborate on what “sustainable care” means in the context of this mission trip?
For Project Ghana, “sustainable care” would be creating a comprehensive support system by involving all key members of the child’s community. This means enlisting teachers, parents, caregivers, siblings, and other community members to help support the child’s needs by offering language strategies.
Sustainable care also means building local capacity by partnering with educational institutions and programs. We collaborate with over 25 local programs in Ghana, working closely with students studying speech therapy at the University of Health and Allied Sciences and at the University of Ghana. By mentoring future speech and occupational therapists, we help develop their knowledge with lectures requested by the university, as well as hands-on clinical practice so that students will have the tools to support their own community.
SFS emphasizes the importance of empowering caregivers. How will Project Ghana address the needs and challenges of caregivers of children with disabilities in Ghana?
Project Ghana first creates a supportive and nurturing environment for mothers, some are experiencing shame and feel isolated. We have trauma-informed therapists and social workers who work with local therapists to help caregivers with the emotional aspects of caring for a child with disabilities.
After collaborating with local programs in Ghana for 5 years, we have created strong relationships and trust within the community. Many mothers are willing to share their journeys. This peer support is invaluable, as it helps mothers realize they are not alone and offers them comfort. Caregivers can exchange advice and what works well for them, share their stories, and encourage each other.
Volunteers from around the world will be participating in Project Ghana. How does SFS ensure cultural competency and sensitivity when working with children and caregivers from a different background?
SFS has a comprehensive approach for selecting and preparing volunteers for Project Ghana. Our extensive application process includes reviewing past experiences, references, and interviews. Once selected, volunteers receive training from SFS and the community that provides for learning about the local culture, customs, and values and understanding the challenges faced by children with disabilities and their caregivers in Ghana.
What are some of the biggest challenges SFS anticipates facing during Project Ghana, and how does the organization plan to overcome them?
Smiles for Speech (SFS) anticipates facing several challenges during Project Ghana, with two of the most significant challenges being fundraising in the current climate and serving a community with only one speech therapist in the region. SFS will continue to train and empower local caregivers, teachers, and community members with basic speech therapy techniques and strategies. This approach will extend the reach of the single speech therapist and broaden the network. We hope to provide remote support to reach even more hidden children and their caregivers if they are not physically present.
Project Ghana is just one of SFS’s initiatives. Can you share your vision for the future of Smiles for Speech and the impact you hope to create on a broader scale?
Our broader vision involves expanding our initiatives and creating sustainable models that can be replicated in various regions worldwide. By continuing to collaborate with organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ghanaian government, SFS aims to strengthen its impact and ensure that our initiatives align with global health and education standards. These partnerships are needed to scale our efforts and influence policy changes that benefit children with disabilities. Our goal is to launch our Smiles for Speech Early Intervention Care Center in Ghana and use it as a model for other countries.
This center will provide inclusive, comprehensive support for children with disabilities, emphasizing early diagnosis and intervention. Literacy will be a cornerstone of our early intervention center, and we plan to establish a library within our center, providing access to books and educational resources that promote literacy and learning for children of all abilities.
Explain in detail the Smiles for Speech Scholars Study Abroad Program and what students will learn regarding hands-on experience and community.
The Smiles for Speech Scholars Study Abroad Program offers students an opportunity to gain hands-on experience and community engagement in speech and occupational therapy. Students will apply ethical considerations and skills in real-world settings, working with diverse clients. This will help them to develop their cultural competency by understanding how cultural factors influence communication and speech disorders, leading to more effective therapy approaches. The program guides students on modifying diagnostic tools and intervention strategies based on culture. With our peer mentorship program, students will network with international speech therapists to learn about their experiences and their speech and occupational therapy student peers.
What other worldwide projects have you done in the past that have impacted children with disabilities other than Project Jamaica and now Project Ghana?
Since Project Cuba (2017), Smiles for Speech has been dedicated to making a meaningful impact on children with disabilities around the world. This was our inaugural project, which focused on providing essential resources and support to children with disabilities in community schools, homes, and orphanages and laid the groundwork for our future projects.
- Project Peru: In addition to caring for children with disabilities, we collaborated with a local hospital to deliver 13 electrolarynxes to support patients who have lost their voices due to cancer and various medical conditions. This highly specialized project involved volunteer voice therapists. We also held a wheelchair clinic to repair broken wheelchairs for children, led by our occupational therapist consultant.
- Project Kenya: We supported training initiatives for government schools, a workshop for mothers in rural areas of Kenya, such as Eldoret, and language-building programs for children living in the Maasai Mara. We aligned with the Kenyan Speech Association to offer professional development focused on children with difficulty swallowing and malnutrition.
- Project Rwanda: We trained 60 teachers on classroom strategies for supporting children who stutter. This training empowers educators to create more inclusive learning environments and better meet the needs of all students.
- Project Dominican Republic: By working closely with the government, we trained 140 teachers and for training and consultation, and over 300 children received speech consultations.
- Project Tanzania: SFS supports a newly formed speech therapy program at Muhimbili University in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. This program contributes to developing local expertise and resources in speech and occupational therapy.
Each project has been tailored to meet the region’s specific needs based on community input, ensuring that our efforts are effective and sustainable.
Interested in volunteering? Pre-qualification for Interested volunteers are invited to apply online at Smiles for Speech Volunteer Application. You only need a $500 non-refundable deposit to register. Recommended immunizations for volunteers include Hepatitis A, Polio, Yellow Fever, Malaria, and Typhoid. Cost and Immunizations include Double – $3,695 and Private Room Supplement – $499. Visit https://www.smilesforspeech.org/project-ghana for more details. Follow Smiles for Speech on Instagram for updates on the Project Ghana trip. View their video here for further information on SFS and their mission trip.
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