Zelenskaya and the UNICEF office manager visited a home for disabled orphans

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Zelenskaya and the UNICEF office manager visited a home for disabled orphans

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01/06/2020 20:24

Ukrinform

The wife of President Elena Zelenskaya and the head of the UNICEF representative office in Ukraine, Lotta Silvander, visited a private social welfare institution for orphans with disabilities and learned about the conditions for caring for students.

This was reported by the press service of the President’s Office.

“The practice of small group homes is very common around the world. I had the opportunity to familiarize myself with the work of one of them during a visit to the Republic of Lithuania and I was amazed at the results. For Ukraine, these homes are still a new phenomenon, but today I have seen once again how children with disabilities can change when they are surrounded by real care. And I am sure that these forms of education are the best alternative to traditional orphanages and boarding schools, and it is important to develop them, “said Zelenskaya.

She stressed that the daily implementation of social protection is almost no different from established household items.

According to the first lady, it is precisely such a family environment which is the key to the integration of disabled children into society and the reduction of their social exclusion.

In Ukraine’s first Happy Home small group home, six disabled orphans aged five to eight are raised. The children live as in an ordinary family. They have their own room, learn to observe basic hygiene rules alone, get involved in household chores, acquire knowledge individually, prepare for teaching in inclusive classes and try to interact with society. : communicate with neighbors, play with other children.

Social workers and their assistants – a nanny, a psychologist, a teacher, a rehabilitator and a speech therapist – are responsible for organizing the students’ lives, food, education and leisure. According to experts, despite the difficult diagnoses, progress is observed in the development of children.

See also: Zelenskaya and UNICEF signed a memorandum on the protection of children’s rights

According to Oksana Sidorchuk, director of Happy Home, these types of institutions are an opportunity for children who are unlikely to live in a family to avoid isolation for life.

“We create the conditions for the rehabilitation of disabled orphans, so that they become ours, for friends – necessary, for school – capable, for life – prepared, for someone – loved and accepted”, a she stressed.

The small group homes aim to create living conditions for orphans and children deprived of parental care, with disabilities, by caring for them and educating them as close as possible to families. In addition, institutions are called upon to ensure socialization and preparation for independent living, the provision of a range of necessary services, particularly in the community, as well as to facilitate the return of children to a biological family, l adoption or placement in family forms of education.