Elke Wisbey’s beaming smile tells those around her that she loves them.

As she giggles away, there’s no doubt when she’s happy. And when she’s fed up, she screams.

But what the five-year-old cannot do is tell people when she’s hungry, when she wants a drink, or make any other simple request so many of us take for granted.

Elke was severely brain-damaged at birth, and will never walk, speak or feed herself.

She relies on her eyes and certain sounds to communicate, but finds it increasingly difficult to make others understand her.

Now her family, of Yeoman Way, Bearsted, are preparing to raise £17,000 to get her a specially adapted Smartbox machine that would mean she could ask for simple things and let those around her know how she is feeling.

Her mother Glynnis, 42, said: “Elke has little or no co-ordination; she can’t walk, will never talk and has no control over her legs.

“We take life as it comes and have to live for every moment. We’re lucky, in that Elke smiles when she’s happy and she also has a very loud scream if she’s not, but beyond that, others find her really hard to understand.

“She tried out a Smartbox at school and we were just gobsmacked that we had found a way for her to communicate. All I really want is for her to be able to tell me what she wants, which is such a simple thing.

“I don’t like asking for help, but after seeing the positive impact it had on her, I’ll now do anything to raise the money.”

Elke, who also has epilepsy and is fed through a tube, tried out the Smartbox at Five Acre Wood School in Maidstone, which she attends.

The machine allows her to use her eyes to point to the way she feels, on-screen, and help those around her know when she is hungry, thirsty or tired.

But because of the huge cost of the technology, the school has been told it would take three years to pay for.

Many children with Elke’s condition do not live to their teens because they are immobile and are highly susceptible to coughs, colds and pneumonia.

Elke’s family are determined to secure the money needed before she returns to school in September.

Mrs Wisbey has organised a sponsored walk in Mote Park, Maidstone, at 11am, on Saturday, August 16, which Elke’s father Matt, 43, and brother Galahad, nine, are to attend.

As a manager for the Body Shop at Home, she also hopes some of her colleagues will donate money to the cause.

The company’s UK managing director, Alastair Kerr, has already made a personal donation, and Jan James, regional manager for the company’s south central region, has also pledged £1,000.

Mrs Wisbey said: “Elke is an absolute delight to know – she smiles when she recognises people and places and she showers hugs, giggles and dribble on those she likes best.

“We don’t know how long Elke will be with us, but having battled from day one to now, we’d like everyone to help us make a world of difference for Elke and give her the chance to communicate with everyone around her directly, rather than through someone guessing what she is trying to achieve.”

How you can help raise money for Elke

Elke’s walk starts at 11am on Saturday, August 16, in Mote Park, Maidstone. Everyone is welcome. Sponsor forms can be picked up from the Kent Messenger office at 6-7 Middle Row, Maidstone.

Or you can send a donation to Elke’s HSBC bank account (sort Code 40-24-44, account munber 10035378, account name Elke Wisbey).

Donations can also be made at the Kent Messenger’s Maidstone office between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.