Even though Babatunde Fashola, affectionately referred to as Baba, is 22 years outdated, he’s lower than 70cm (2ft 4in) tall.

He has cerebral palsy and calls for lifelong care. He can neither discuss nor stroll and is fed by way of a tube connected to his abdomen.

As a child, he was once deserted by way of his oldsters however 10 years in the past, he discovered a house on the Cerebral Palsy Centre within the Nigerian town of Lagos.

“Baba weighs about 12kg [26lb]. He’s doing neatly,” the ability’s founder, Nonye Nweke, tells me once I consult with.

Ms Nweke and her group of workers paintings across the clock to reinforce him and different kids dwelling with everlasting mind harm.

Even though there’s a loss of reliable knowledge, cerebral palsy is assumed to be one of the not unusual neurological issues in Nigeria. In 2017, a scientific professor from the College of Lagos mentioned 700,000 folks had the situation.

For lots of of the ones dwelling with cerebral palsy within the nation, their situation was once brought about by way of a not unusual phenomenon amongst newborns – neonatal jaundice.

That is brought about by way of a build-up of bilirubin, a yellow substance, within the blood, that means the young children’ skins have a yellow tinge.

Professor Chinyere Ezeaka, a paediatrician on the Lagos College Educating Medical institution, tells the BBC that greater than 60% of all young children be afflicted by jaundice.

Maximum young children get well inside of days. Extra serious circumstances want additional scientific intervention – or even then the situation is well treatable.

Kids are mainly uncovered to ultra-violet gentle to dissolve the surplus bilirubin of their pink blood cells. The remedy lasts a couple of days relying at the severity.

Alternatively, in Nigeria this remedy is regularly no longer in an instant to be had, which is why the rustic is likely one of the 5 with probably the most neurological issues brought about by way of untreated jaundice on the planet, in keeping with knowledge from the Global Well being Group (WHO).

Any remedy for neonatal jaundice “should happen throughout the first 10 days of existence, else [the condition] may just purpose everlasting mind harm and serious cerebral palsy”, says Prof Ezeaka.

To make issues worse, the West African nation lacks amenities to take care of the ones with neurological issues. There are simply 3 cerebral palsy centres, all privately run, in Nigeria, which has a inhabitants of greater than 200 million.

Ms Nweke – a unmarried mom – arrange the Cerebral Palsy Centre after suffering to seek out reinforce for her personal daughter, Zimuzo.

“After I took her to a day-care [centre], they requested me to take her again as a result of different moms would withdraw their kids. As a mum, I should say it was once somewhat devastating,” Ms Nweke tells the BBC.

Zimuzo is now 17, and Ms Nweke’s Cerebral Palsy Centre supplies full-time reinforce for others with equivalent stories.

At the day I consult with, vibrant playtime mats and toys are smartly organized at the ground. Mickey Mouse and his buddies speak on a wide-screen tv in the living room.

Twelve kids, some as younger as 5, gaze on the TV, their vibrant setting unnoticed for a second. They’re all motionless and non-speaking.

At lunchtime, caregivers lend a hand the children consume. Some absorb liquified meals thru tubes connected to their stomachs.

Moderately and slowly, the carers reinforce their heads with pillows and push the contents in their syringes into the tubes.

The kids are fed each and every two hours and require common muscular massages to forestall stiffness.

However they’re the fortunate 12 receiving unfastened care from the Cerebral Palsy Centre, which is funded solely by way of donors.

The power has a protracted ready listing – Ms Nweke has gained greater than 100 programs.

However taking over extra kids will require additional monetary reinforce. The price of taking care of any individual on the centre is no less than $1,000 (£790) a month – an enormous quantity in a rustic the place the nationwide minimal salary is ready $540 a 12 months.

“As a mum, I should say it is somewhat overwhelming. You have got moments of despair, it offers you heartaches and it’s somewhat pricey – in reality it is the most costly congenital dysfunction to control,” Ms Nweke says.

“After which in fact, it helps to keep you clear of folks as a result of you do not talk about the similar issues. They’re speaking in their young children, strolling, playing the ones child moments. You aren’t doing that. You’re unhappy,” she provides.

Ms Nweke explains that she followed Zimuzo from an orphanage.

A couple of months after taking her new daughter house, Ms Nweke realised Zimuzo was once no longer creating in the similar method as the kids round her had been. She was once assessed at a clinic and recognized with cerebral palsy.

Ms Nweke was once informed she may just take Zimuzo, who was once then simply a couple of months outdated, again to the orphanage and undertake every other child as a substitute, however she refused.

“I determined to stay her and I started researching what the dysfunction was once about, the remedy and form of care my kid would want – she’s my existence.

“I used to be additionally informed by way of the medical doctors she may not reside past two years. Smartly right here we’re – 17 years later,” says a smiling Ms Nweke.

A lack of understanding and good enough scientific reinforce hinders the prognosis and remedy of neonatal jaundice in Nigeria.

Ms Nweke additionally says the average native trust that kids with congenital issues are spiritually broken or bewitched results in stigmatisation.

Some kids with neurological issues – most commonly in Nigeria’s rural spaces – are labelled witches. In some circumstances, they’re deserted in prayer homes or solid out in their households.

Ms Nweke isn’t on my own in her challenge to dispel myths and beef up care.

The Oscar Challenge – a charity aimed toward bettering the prognosis and remedy of neonatal jaundice – just lately started working in Lagos.

The challenge is called after Vietnamese-born British incapacity recommend, Oscar Anderson, whose untreated jaundice brought about his cerebral palsy.

“We are equipping well being amenities on the number one, secondary and tertiary ranges with the apparatus to regard jaundice, basically gentle bins, but additionally detection and screening apparatus,” Toyin Saraki, who oversaw the release, tells the BBC.

Challenge Oscar, sponsored by way of client well being company Reckitt, is coaching 300 well being employees in Lagos. The hope over the primary 12 months is to achieve 10,000 moms, display 9,000 kids and introduce new protocols to check out and save you young children with jaundice from creating cerebral palsy.

In a rustic the place the general public well being device is overstretched, the federal government has little to mention concerning the dysfunction, even if it lauded the Oscar challenge’s targets.

Remedy for neonatal jaundice is considerably inexpensive than the price of lifelong care, medical doctors say.

First introduced in Vietnam in 2019, Challenge Oscar has helped about 150,000 kids within the Asian nation.

Mr Anderson, 22, says he needs to forestall different kids experiencing what he has been thru.

“Other folks with disabilities aren’t to be underestimated,” he tells the BBC.

He’s running to verify screening for each and every new child toddler for neonatal jaundice, and, with the reinforce and braveness of mums, midwives and scientific execs, ensure that there’s higher working out and sooner remedy.

Alternatively, reaching it is a vastly bold function in Africa’s most-populous nation, the place hundreds of young children are born each and every 12 months with neonatal jaundice.

Regardless, Mr Anderson is made up our minds to defy the percentages.

“The paintings does not prevent till each and every child is safe towards neonatal jaundice,” he says.