Having a physical handicap has more serious consequences for Russian children than it would have for European children. And the definition of a "handicap" is much broader in Russian: you are for instance already seen as handicapped if you have diabetes. Even children with minor handicaps are often refused by the schools. Legally the schools are obliged to take them in, but it still happens more often than not. Apart from the problem that these children do not get an education, the social rejection had a disastrous effect on their self-esteem. These children become depressed, stop talking, do not show any lust for life….
The Muscovite Elena Siltchenko - a university-educated biologist - has a son with a serious from of diabetes. When she succeeded via her contacts to organise an operation on his eyes in Italy she saw him flourish. Not as a result of the medical treatment but as a result of the way he was treated: people talked to him, were interested in his opinion and treated him as a normal human being.
This was her reason for starting Echo, a sort of "after-school" activity centre where handicapped children can come to learn and play. Here children learn to express themselves and recognise their value. In addition, Elena visits schools to try and force them to take the children in as students. She gets a small salary from the municipality, but she is otherwise dependent on gifts from parents and friends and from the private Pavel Foundation in Holland. With the help of this foundation the kids from Echo visit the Netherlands for a therapeutic summer holiday each year. During the two week holiday the children make amazing progress in self-respect, and according to the reports from Echo these changes are permanent.
Echo was recently given the opportunity to rent a new space. The centre was first located in a big building where a lot of organisations were housed and could now get a small building of its own, close to a school that would allow them to use their playground after school hours and close to a big underground station, which would improve its accessibility. Sadly, just before the moving date, there was a burglary during which the entire inventory was stolen, down to the last plastic cup and rickety chair. The perpetrators have not been found. To make matters worse, Echo also was one of the victims of the Sodbiznes banking scandal, which has been covered extensively in the Russian press. The bank lost its licence and its customers lost their money. Echo was left with a (worthless) statement from the bank that it is one of the bank's creditors. So the centre has no money to buy new furniture. When Dutch representatives of the Pavel foundation visited the centre, they had to borrow tea-mugs from the neighbours. Moments of Joy paid 1500 Euro for a new inventory.
Apart from that the centre would greatly benefit from the purchase of a semi-professional video camera. For several years now, the children have received film lessons from teachers of the Moscow film academy, and quite a few of them show real talent. This can create income for the centre, because the quality of the children's film work leads to commissions from people who want their wedding or party filmed. The next project for Echo can therefore begin as soon as the money for a new camera has been raised.
TOTAL € 1500,--
DONATED FROM THE GENERAL FUND OF MOMENTS OF JOY
The Muscovite Elena Siltchenko - a university-educated biologist - has a son with a serious from of diabetes. When she succeeded via her contacts to organise an operation on his eyes in Italy she saw him flourish. Not as a result of the medical treatment but as a result of the way he was treated: people talked to him, were interested in his opinion and treated him as a normal human being.
This was her reason for starting Echo, a sort of "after-school" activity centre where handicapped children can come to learn and play. Here children learn to express themselves and recognise their value. In addition, Elena visits schools to try and force them to take the children in as students. She gets a small salary from the municipality, but she is otherwise dependent on gifts from parents and friends and from the private Pavel Foundation in Holland. With the help of this foundation the kids from Echo visit the Netherlands for a therapeutic summer holiday each year. During the two week holiday the children make amazing progress in self-respect, and according to the reports from Echo these changes are permanent.
Echo was recently given the opportunity to rent a new space. The centre was first located in a big building where a lot of organisations were housed and could now get a small building of its own, close to a school that would allow them to use their playground after school hours and close to a big underground station, which would improve its accessibility. Sadly, just before the moving date, there was a burglary during which the entire inventory was stolen, down to the last plastic cup and rickety chair. The perpetrators have not been found. To make matters worse, Echo also was one of the victims of the Sodbiznes banking scandal, which has been covered extensively in the Russian press. The bank lost its licence and its customers lost their money. Echo was left with a (worthless) statement from the bank that it is one of the bank's creditors. So the centre has no money to buy new furniture. When Dutch representatives of the Pavel foundation visited the centre, they had to borrow tea-mugs from the neighbours. Moments of Joy paid 1500 Euro for a new inventory.
Apart from that the centre would greatly benefit from the purchase of a semi-professional video camera. For several years now, the children have received film lessons from teachers of the Moscow film academy, and quite a few of them show real talent. This can create income for the centre, because the quality of the children's film work leads to commissions from people who want their wedding or party filmed. The next project for Echo can therefore begin as soon as the money for a new camera has been raised.
TOTAL € 1500,--
DONATED FROM THE GENERAL FUND OF MOMENTS OF JOY
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+31 70 3241997 - IBAN: NL72 TRIO 0784 9315 69
+31 70 3241997 - IBAN: NL72 TRIO 0784 9315 69