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PICTURED: Karl Loko was in attendance at the 'Autism; I am not a stigma' event

GUBA FOUNDATION held an event in Westminster on Wednesday (Jan 30) to raise awareness of the stigma people with autism and families living with autism face.

The event, which highlighted the culturally sensitive stigmas individuals and families with autism face, was attended by Lisa Cameron MP as a representative of the All Party Parliamentary Group on autism along with Miss Ghana UK 2018, Miss Akua Ohenewaa Anim.

The seminar connected families living with autism by introducing them to others with shared experiences whilst also providing a platform to highlight the wonderful achievements, gifts and unknown talents of people living with autism.

The event was opened by Helen Ellis from the National Autistic Society, as she offered facts and figures relating to autism in the UK, including the statistic that over 700,000 people in the UK are on the autistic spectrum, equating to 1 in 100 people, highlighting the importance of raising awareness of the stigma.

Dentaa Amoateng MBE, founder and CEO of GUBA Enterprise commented: “With the ‘I am not a stigma' campaign we wanted to provide awareness, support and guidance to families, create strong connections encouraging community cohesion, and ensure that the community have access to the services that they require.

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Full house ???? Our ‘Autism; I am not a stigma’ event has begun #autismawareness #autism #IamNotaStigma #gubafoundation

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“I am thrilled that we have finally brought the conversation surrounding autism to Westminster right in the British House of Commons where our message is being heard by the individuals who can actually make a change!”

Former gang leader Karl Lokko, who has raised millions for charity and works with Prince Harry across various charities, spoke about the stigma he has faced since childhood. The seminar also offered a religious viewpoint from Pastor Freda McEwen, Gillian Boateng also described how she has overcome the stigma while raising three children on the autistic spectrum.

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