The PPEPP-EU project observed World Autism Awareness Day on April 22.
Under the theme “Welcoming Neurodiversity, Building a Sustainable Society,” the project organized discussions, rallies, cultural events, and street theatre performances across its community platforms, including the Village Committees, Mother and Child Forums, PWD Forums, and Social Development Centres (for adolescent girls).
The programmes were facilitated by the project’s technical staff specialized in Livelihoods, Nutrition, and Community Mobilization.
Both project participants and the wider local community participated in the events. The discussions focused on defining autism, understanding the characteristics of individuals with autism, ways to support them and disseminating information regarding access to government services.
The primary goal of the events was to create accurate awareness about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at the community, dispel common misconceptions, and highlight the importance of viewing autism as a natural variation of the human brain.
While World Autism Awareness Day is internationally observed on April 2 each year, this year’s observance in Bangladesh was held on April 22 due to the Eid-ul-Fitr holidays.