Spark a Spectrum 2026 Post-Event Report, ABA World

International Report, Africa, Côte d'Ivoire, Kuwait, and Zambia

Africa and International report compiled by Faby Diallo, BCBA, Africa and Asia Regional Lead. Côte d'Ivoire reports from Kone Safiatou, AKHO MAFFEHI Arthur Jean de Dieu, and M'BRA Yannick. Kuwait report from Eilan Aldhafeeri. Zambia report from Hildah Nkonde, Save A Smile.

NEW addition, Zambia (Save A Smile, Hildah Nkonde): Despite inability to hold the event due to lack of funding, the Zambia team successfully secured a venue and mobilized volunteers. Their report, alongside the experience of Enugu (also cancelled), highlights the urgent need for advance funding mechanisms for 2027.

Country	Lead	Screened	Activity
Senegal	Faby Diallo (Regional Lead)	150+	Screening and community celebration
Mali	Faby Diallo (Regional Lead)	50+	Screening and celebration
Madagascar	Faby Diallo (Regional Lead)	25	Screening
Côte d'Ivoire	Kone Safiatou, AKHO MAFFEHI Arthur, M'BRA Yannick	TBC	Community celebration, parent consultations, field practice (3 centers). Reports submitted.
Kuwait	Eilan Aldhafeeri	2	Awareness session, inclusion and diversity focus
Zambia	Hildah Nkonde, Save A Smile	0	EVENT CANCELLED, lack of funding. Venue secured, volunteers mobilized. No event held.
Guinea, Morocco, others	Various	TBC	Community celebrations, awareness, social media
Vietnam	TBC	TBC	Final report pending
Greece	TBC	TBC	Final report pending

Full report from Faby Diallo to follow on return from travel. Vietnam and Greece final reports are also pending.

Nigeria, Center by Center Report

Updated to include revised Ekiti sub-center data, four new states (Borno, Anambra, Taraba, Gombe, all reporting no event held), and data verification flags. Multiple individual screener submissions from University of Ibadan (Oyo) and Homecare Islamic Hospital (Kaduna) have been consolidated.

Confirmed data

Yellow, requires verification

Red, cancelled or did not hold

State	Center / Coordinator	Attended	Screened	Consult.	Vols.	Policy Survey	Notes
Akwa Ibom	Kings & Queens Computer Academy Kingsley Okon Ita	255	55	55	30	Unknown
Bauchi	ATBU Teaching Hospital Jonas Happiness Sarki	230+	57	N/A	20	Pending
Ekiti State	Govt Therapy Centre Ado-Ekiti and Ekiti Therapy Centre BABALOLA Ayodeji Kayode, Ogunyemi Deborah, multiple coordinators	670+	90+	90+	36	20 to 30+	UPDATED, 3 sub-centers. Govt Therapy 300 attended, 26-27 screened. Special School Ido-Ekiti 20 attended, 19 screened. Special School for Physically Challenged Ido-Ekiti 350 attended, 45 screened.
Rivers State	Utmost Care and Therapy Services Mercy Emmanuel-Worgu	125	19	25	66	None	Volunteer list to follow separately.
Cross River	Calabar Dr. Chimaeze Torty	132	42	33	37	Over 30
Abia State	Harriet Hotel, Umuahia Amarachi Treasure Nwankwo	110	20	15	37*	11-19	*Volunteer count: coordinator reported 37, assistant coordinator (Roland Okere) reported 25. Please confirm.
Edo State	Charilove Centre God's Choice Osagie	65	8	4	15	Unknown
Kaduna (Mimfad)	Mimfad Autism Initiative Maryam Ibrahim Maifada	100+	100	45	30	Over 30
Kaduna (Tafawa Balewa)	Tafawa Balewa Safiya Musa Ibrahim	185	100	50	20	6-10
Jigawa	Rasheed Shekoni Federal Univ. Teaching Hospital Usman Nasiru Isah	55	35	35	20	6-10
Kaduna (Homecare)	Homecare Islamic Hospital, Rigachikun Asiya Iliyasu, Mubarak Idris, Hauwa Shehu	32	29	29	8	20 to 30	3 overlapping sub-reports from the same center, consolidated.
Ogun State	OTA Dr. Nike Akindayo	40	15	15	11	1-5
Nasarawa	Special School Lafia Christopher Ali Zarma	42	0	0	4	11-19	No screening conducted. Awareness and community activities held.
Adamawa	ADSACA Specialist Hospital, Yola Anthony Emmanuel	30	10	2	4	11-19
Oyo State	University of Ibadan Adio Jamal Abioye and team (7 overlapping sub-reports)	30	10	10	15	20-30	Multiple individual screeners submitted separately, consolidated under one center.
Lagos Mainland	Igbehinadun Primary School, Pedro Adeleye Ebunoluwa	13	12	12	23	Unknown
Imo State	Joyful Place Ltd Uzoma Joy Chizitere	12	0	3	8	Unknown
Lagos (PLUMCARE)	PLUMCARE Educational Services Fasesan Oluwaseun Elizabeth	16	7	5	4	1-5
Lagos Island	Lagos Island Event Edu George	11	2	2	8	6-10
Katsina	Katsina Vocational Training Centre Abdullahi Wada Umar	99	25	80	6	Over 30	NOTE: 80 consultations vs 25 screened, please verify. Possible data entry error.
Kogi	UEC College of Nursing Sciences, Ochadamu EGBUNU Odoma John	12	0	0	10	1-5	No screening, awareness held. Financial constraints affected volunteer turnout.
Benue State	Madarasatul Rayadah, Gboko Usman Munauwara Aminu	2	2	1	N/A	1-5	The event was severely reduced by rain on the day.
Sokoto	Usmanu Danfodiyo Univ. Teaching Hospital Abdulhakeem Abdulsalam, virtual only	0	0	0	0	Pending	The event did not hold physically. Joined virtually.
Enugu	Amadeo Event Center Agbo Emmanuel Ikechukwu, EVENT CANCELLED	0	0	0	0	20-30	Event cancelled due to lack of funds.
Borno State	No center established Pharm. Mallam Abba Kunduli, NO EVENT	0	0	0	0	None	No event held. No center available. The coordinator submitted a report confirming no field activity.
Anambra State	No center established Okafor Ogechukwu Marycynthia, NO EVENT	0	0	0	10	None	No event held. No screening center available. 10 trained volunteers ready for future events.
Taraba State	Taraba Ibrahim Yunusa Tanko, NO EVENT	0	0	0	0	None	The event did not take place. No further details provided.
Gombe State	No center (Nil) Usman Abdullahi, NO EVENT	0	0	0	0	None	No event held. No center, no field activity reported.
TOTALS, 33 centers reporting		2,181+*	610+*	393+*	500+		*Ekiti totals revised upward, see notes

Nigerian States with No Data Submitted (as of April 25, 2026)

The following Nigerian states are confirmed participants (84+ centers) but have not yet submitted post-event reports. Borno, Anambra, Taraba, and Gombe have now submitted reports and are listed in the main Nigeria table above. The states below are flagged here to support follow-up outreach before the April 30 deadline.

State	Status	Notes
Abuja (FCT)	Rescheduled, report pending	NALTF rescheduled to later in April
Plateau State (Jos)	Rescheduled, report pending	Rescheduled to later in April
Delta State	No report received
Osun State	No report received
Kwara State	No report received
Niger State	No report received
Kebbi State	No report received
Zamfara State	NA
Yobe State	No report received
Bayelsa State	No report received
Ondo State	No report received

Note: This list is indicative, not exhaustive. States not listed above and not in the Nigeria table may also have unreported centers. A full list of 84 confirmed centers is needed to cross-reference remaining submissions.

Voices from the Field

The following are direct accounts from coordinators describing their most unforgettable moments from April 2, 2026. This edition adds new voices from Zambia, Côte d'Ivoire, and additional Nigerian states.

"Seeing the relief and hope in the eyes of parents after their children were screened. For many, it was the first time they truly understood what their child might be experiencing, and that support is possible."

Jonas Happiness Sarki · Bauchi, Nigeria

"One moment I will never forget was identifying the early signs of autism in a child who had been misunderstood for years."

Ogunyemi Deborah Eunice · Ekiti State, Nigeria

"The showcase of talent by autistic children, a 7-year-old mathematician and a 13-year-old puzzle expert. The turnout of families for screening, and the fact that most stayed till the end."

Dr. Chimaeze Torty · Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria

"A parent initially seemed worried and unsure, but after the screening and consultation, they became calm and hopeful. That transformation, from confusion to understanding, really stayed with me."

Kingsley Okon Ita · Akwa Ibom, Nigeria

"How grateful the parents of the special learners were, and the hope that sparked from their eyes after the consultation sessions. The devoted team of volunteers, screeners, and consultants who did the tasks with joy."

Mercy Emmanuel-Worgu · Rivers State, Nigeria

"When parents had to come out and dance, and when our host centre took responsibility for covering the entire refreshments. Joy was in every corner."

God's Choice Osagie · Edo State (Charilove Centre), Nigeria

"A woman was told to go and bury her child alive by her husband, who subsequently abandoned the family. The openness of parents to share what they are going through, that took courage."

Dr. Nike Akindayo · Ogun State, Nigeria

"A woman asked: what would she do, as her husband divorced her because she gave birth to an autistic child? It was very touching. I became very emotional, and so was every parent present."

Safiya Musa Ibrahim · Tafawa Balewa, Kaduna, Nigeria

"Heartfelt talks from veteran parents to newly diagnosed families created moments of acceptance and understanding. Every child felt seen, every parent felt honoured."

Maryam Ibrahim Maifada · Kaduna (Mimfad), Nigeria

"A powerful sense of unity in diversity, seeing individuals from different backgrounds come together to share, learn, and inspire one another. It was more than a gathering, it was a movement."

Anthony Emmanuel · Yola, Adamawa, Nigeria

"A parent shared her experience of being paid less at work after missing days to care for her autistic child, while the father had abandoned them. It reminded us why this work matters."

Edu George · Lagos Island, Nigeria

"The realization that parents are the biggest researchers."

Adeoye Janet · University of Ibadan, Oyo State

"The most unforgettable moment was realizing we had to cancel the event entirely because we ran out of money. That disappointment taught me more about planning and resource management than any successful event ever could."

Agbo Emmanuel · Enugu State, Nigeria

"Time spent with the children. Les moments passés avec les enfants."

Kone Safiatou · Bonheur d'enfant, Côte d'Ivoire

"The inclusion and joining of people from across the world. Autism awareness coming to light and spreading understanding."

Eilan Aldhafeeri · Kuwait

"Despite us not being able to hold the event due to lack of funding, seeing different people from all walks of life rise up and gather together for this noble cause was such a beautiful thing to witness."

Hildah Nkonde, Save A Smile · Zambia (event not held)

What Coordinators Said Worked Well

Strong volunteer collaboration and coordination across all centers.
Free services. Families were genuinely surprised and moved to receive everything at no cost.
Well-organized and efficient screening processes at most centers.
Community turnout showed increasing public interest in and acceptance of autism awareness.
Media and stakeholder engagement: TV, newspapers, and community leaders participated.
Walk for autism awareness in local languages (Yoruba, Hausa) reached communities that had never heard about autism.
Parents engaging with each other and sharing lived experiences created powerful moments of connection.
Talented autistic children showcased abilities (Cross River, Akwa Ibom), reinforcing the message of neurodiversity.
Host centres in Edo State took on financial responsibility for refreshments, demonstrating community ownership.
Field practice and hands-on diagnostic activities strengthened practitioner skills (Côte d'Ivoire).

What Coordinators Would Improve Next Year

Earlier planning and wider community mobilization. Several coordinators cited last-minute challenges.
Stronger funding and budget planning. Coordinators and volunteers should not bear personal financial costs. The Enugu and Zambia cancellations are clear warnings: events must be fully funded before dates are committed.
More publicity and advance awareness campaigns in local languages.
Backup logistics and venue arrangements, including contingency for weather (Akwa Ibom lost time to rain. Benue event was reduced by rain).
More structured meetings and communication in the lead-up to the event.
Transportation support for volunteers traveling from distant areas.
More engaging activities for autistic children during the event.
Expand to more communities, semi-urban areas, and underserved regions.
Establish visible autism diagnosis and support centers in states where none currently exist (Kaduna, Enugu, and others).
Practice screening sessions with teams before event day.
Follow-up communication with families after screenings, especially for those who received concerning results.
Ongoing contact with parents between events to sustain momentum (Homecare Islamic Hospital, Kaduna).
Hold seminars for parents before the screening session (Lagos Mainland).
Better attendee registration and documentation from the start of the event (Rivers State).

Pending Data, Final Report Expected by April 30

Reports from remaining 55+ centers (Nigeria and international)
Final policy survey count, target 20-30 per location across 32 countries
Competition winners, Art and Dance categories
TV and newspaper coverage documentation
LinkedIn and social media reach statistics
Rescheduled center reports, Abuja (NALTF), Jos, Sokoto (virtual), Lagos (later in April)
Full photo compilation from 1,600+ photos received
Faby Diallo full Africa and Asia report on return from travel
Vietnam and Greece final reports
Volunteer list from Rivers State (Mercy Emmanuel-Worgu) to follow separately
Confirmation of Abia State volunteer count (37 vs. 25, see note in Nigeria table)
Verification of Katsina consultation figure (80 consultations vs. 25 screened, possible data entry error)

Editorial Notes, Suggested Improvements for Final Report

Item	Note / Action Required
Executive summary	Add a 5-6 sentence paragraph at the top capturing the full scope, geographic reach, and human impact for readers who will only skim.
World map graphic	Add a map or country list showing all 32 participating countries, highly shareable and conveys global scale immediately.
Enugu and Zambia case studies	Present the Enugu and Zambia cancellations as a formal case study on funding realities, a compelling, honest call to action for 2027 funding support.
Key Numbers box	Add a 'Consultations' figure once totals are confirmed, this reflects depth of impact beyond screening numbers alone.
What happens next	Add a section covering follow-up plans for screened children, referral pathways, and how families will be supported beyond event day.
Call to action	Add a 'How to Support / Get Involved' section at the end with funding link, volunteer form, or contact details.
Abia State volunteers	Coordinator reported 37 volunteers, assistant coordinator reported 25. Confirm the correct figure.
Katsina consultations	The coordinator reported 80 consultations but only 25 screened. Verify whether this is a data entry error.
Ekiti sub-centers	Three sub-centers now confirmed: Govt Therapy Ado-Ekiti, Govt Special School Ido-Ekiti, and Special School for Physically Challenged Ido-Ekiti. Consider listing separately in the final report for clarity.
Duplicate submissions	University of Ibadan (Oyo) had 7 overlapping screener submissions. Homecare Islamic Hospital (Kaduna) had 3. Consolidation done in this draft, verify totals with respective state coordinators.
Policy survey format	Standardize all policy survey entries to one format throughout (e.g., always 'Over 30', not '30+').

Spark a Spectrum 2026

Updated partial report