Training and Equipping for Children With Special Needs and Their Parents

Project Name: Training and Equipping for Children With Special Needs and their Parents

Project description and objectives

The project aim is to provide the appropriate resources, knowledge, and training for children and families with special needs to help these children meet their potential in all areas social, physical and mental.

Partners

• Ministry of Social Welfare
• Association of Parents with Disabled Children (ARDI)
• Ministry of Education

Major Activities Completed and Results:

• Provided financial assistance for ARDI/CDI special needs pre-school: materials, supplies, orthopedic shoes, and special-needs equipment.
• Facilitated special education specialist to train and run and implement a pre-school for 10 special needs children.
• Helped to pioneer a first ever pre-school for special needs children using methods from the USA and Europe.
• Facilitated physical therapy for 10 special needs children with volunteer working with ARDI.
• Training for 4 special education teachers in a pre-school environment by special education trainer during twice weekly for the whole year.
• 1 ½ month training seminar for 15 teachers in special education given by Suzanne Kolstad a CDI trainer with a Masters in Special Education. The 10 educators who attended this seminar affect some 50 special needs children.
• 3 day training seminar was given by CDI staff on Improving Education and Social Protection for Children with Disabilities. Twenty teachers, 9 NGO leaders, and 16 parents of special needs children attended. These individuals have the potential to affect another 1000 people.

· Seminar given on medical issues related to special needs children to 20 parents of special needs children by an American pediatrician and pediatric nurse

A variety of children were helped in a variety of ways, and there are many stories that could be told. Let one suffice here. Tiligen is deaf and was born with celebral palsy. At first he as not admitted to the local special needs preschool because he had multiple needs. However, through cooperative work with local staff, he subsequently was admitted to the pre-school and is receiving occupational therapy to help him with feeding and small motor skills. He is also learning sign language and to read letters and numbers.

One of the main hindrances for this project is the need for a permanent venue to do this kind of training. There have been potential sites offered by, but for a variety of reasons these have not worked out. This has delayed the project and keeps it from expanding and reaching more children.