A SWINDON man moved by the plight of disabled children in Africa is raising funds to build a new treatment centre in Cameroon.

Michael Thomas, 76, is a member of the charity Future in Our Hands International Network, which supports marginalised people all over the world.

Its latest project is the new centre for disabled children in the town of Bafoussam in west Cameroon.

Michael, who first got involved with the group in 2009, said: “Our charity has always been concerned with helping the most disadvantaged people.

“Bafoussam, which is a town similar in size to Swindon, is home to about 9,000 disabled children. But many are hidden away out of view, marginalised by misguided beliefs that disability is punishment for something the parents have done wrong in a previous life.

“But treatment changes lives. It can cure them or give children the hope of being able to live with their disability. With vocational training they can start to think about getting a job or setting up a business and stop feeling like an outsider.”

A centre to help disabled children has existed in the town since 2004, but now Michael and his small band of volunteers are hoping to raise more than £4,300 to expand it.

They have currently acquired just under £2,000 and are appealing for help to reach their target.

“We already treat around 200 children every year, but we are hoping to increase that massively,” he said.

“My hope is that we can get disabled people doing things around the centre such as selling produce grown on the site. I would like to see centres like this established throughout Cameroon and Africa as a whole.”

Michael, who has visited the country four times so far – the last time being in 2014 – has spoken of the problems in Cameroon surrounding the stigma of being born with a disability.

He said: “I think the state of disability care in the country is appalling. Africa has a lot of parallels with the UK but there are still a lot of superstitions around disabilities.

“A recent survey found 559 cases of children with a disability in just four villages – 70 per cent did not go to school. Those who do are often abused.

“With nobody to turn to they lose self-esteem, develop dependencies and become depressed. All too often families cannot afford the cost of treatment or ongoing travel to the current building.

“However, not only are we changing children’s lives but we are also changing attitudes.

“The public interest the new centre will attract will mean that more people can see that disabilities can be treated and they are learning to accept it better.”

The new centre will have much more space for treatment facilities and will be located on a main highway with frequent buses and taxis, making it much easier to reach. It will also provide a base for staff to work in other nearby regions.

It is expected to become a hub for networking, vocational training and learning.

Michael has worked on similar projects in other parts of the world including Sierra Leone, Kenya and India. He is not yet sure when he will return to Cameroon, and he has spoken of his wish to pass the baton to the younger generation.

The charity is hoping to have the new centre up and running by February, but it all depends on how quickly they can get the funding they need.

To find out more about the group’ or to make a donation, go to www.fiohnetwork.org.