The Smiling Girl without a Voice

SOS mother Jane Akinyi vividly remembers the first impressions she had meeting her young namesake when she was brought to the SOS Children’s Villages Kisumu, in Kenya four months ago.

Little Jane had a beautiful smile, and very good appetite; though slightly malnourished nothing seemed amiss. She would follow Jane everywhere she went and would smile the brightest of smiles whenever she spoke to her.

Everyone in the family quickly became charmed by the little girl, but after a short while, they began to realize that something might be wrong. The new found bundle of joy did not seem able to utter a single word or sound. Puzzled and concerned, Jane, as any mother would do, started the journey of attempting to uncover what could be wrong with her new SOS daughter.

From one doctor to the next, Jane searched with determination for someone who could help, holding to the hope that one day she would be able to share simple conversations with the little girl. With luck, she found a good pediatrician who had a remedy for little Jane, and assured her that all would be well. 

The little girl was diagnosed to have delayed speech, and the doctor advised Jane to repeat one word over and over with her every day. As they began their journey to help little Jane, the first step for the mother was to learn about speech therapy herself, and to educate the rest of her children. In the early days, Jane found that she needed to remind the SOS siblings to be patient with the little girl, and reassure them that there was a life time ahead of her to learn and grow.

The journey begins

Jane knew that doing chores together with little Jane would build her confidence and ability. She broke the job into smaller steps; explaining what to do and little Jane would repeat the words. She learnt that listening to little Jane ‘talking’ was also very key; she did not rush to fill in the gaps or make corrections, neither did she force her to speak. The family had to learn what to say, and at the right time.

They drew the important things in little Jane’s everyday life, like the cup, food, clothes, bed, and favourite toys. When she was not able to pronounce them she would pick up the drawing of what she wanted and show it her mother or siblings.  Jane taught her sign language to curb the frustration that would emerge when she did not seem to understand.  And she slowly taught her to speak, playing with her while repeating the words. At every accomplished task Jane received praise for a well done job. 

Happy moments

Four months down the line, little Jane could repeat everything the mother said. She had also gained enough confidence to go out and play with the other children in the Village.  In a January, 2016 she joined the SOS Kindergarten. Now in school, she is able to repeat numbers 1- 4 with ease. Little Jane’s SOS mother is excited about her progress, and beams with pride at every small step she makes in her journey of speech.

*Image changed to protect the privacy of the child