Education Ukraine Project #13395

Let's help blind children refugees from Ukraine

by Kharkiv rehabilitation centre 'Pravo vibora'

Project Report | Apr 30, 2023
International assistance for children of Ukraine

By BUTENKO VALENTYNA | Lider projekt

Dear friends!

We are very grateful to you that you support our project in such a terrible time for Ukraine. Your support gives us strength and resources for further full-fledged work.

What did we do during the reporting period?

Firstly, we collected a data bank where Ukrainian blind children are now and established contact with their families and reported on how we can support them: humanitarian aid (food, hygiene products) rehabilitation equipment: canes, wheelchairs, books in in an accessible format, remote lectures for parents on methods of raising children with visual impairments, psychological support for mothers, online trainings “Vaccination against stress”.

Thanks to your support, our social enterprise "Socintel" was able to purchase new equipment, a more powerful Braille printer "Braille Box" and continues to work in Kharkov despite the shelling from Russia. We print textbooks, books, information materials on the principles of universal design and children receive them for free.

For the first time in Ukraine, we create a library of tactile books for blind mothers, and books printed according to the principles of universal design. We printed 150 new books for children and youth during the reporting period. We printed 150 new books for children and youth during the reporting period. These books were given to children in Ukraine, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, England, Germany.

In Bremen, we opened a Resource Room for Ukrainian children, where children meet 4 times a week, play, communicate, listen to fairy tales in their native language. While this room is very modest. But gradually it is filled with children's toys and games. She lives in her childhood.

In the Resource Room, we conduct classes to prepare Ukrainian kids for school, organize holidays together with our partners.

In the Resource Room, we were able to purchase Braille printing equipment and began to collect a library of books in Ukrainian, German, and English.

In March, thanks to the support of Global Given, we held an international school of parenting skills "Parent Universities" for families raising children with severe developmental disabilities.

And of course we want our children to have holidays and games.

So that they grow up happy and do not lag behind in development, they could at least temporarily forget about the horrors of war.

Mom's review of our books

I even cried yesterday, for all her nine years, I didn't even think it was possible. No one said that there could be such a large cipher that she could actually see, not with her nose in a book. I have never found such books in regular stores. Not that the child, but I am happy that I can somehow improve his outlook and opportunities. Thank you from the bottom of my mother's heart for helping our children perceive the world without limitations.

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Jan 4, 2023
Resource Center for Helping Children of Ukraine -

By Valentina Butenko | Lider projekt

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By the feast of St. Nicholas, more than 150 children received gifts: sweets, fruits, toys, games.

By the New Year, 75 blind children not only in Ukraine, but also in European countries received sets of books in Braille as a gift.

We understand that blind children need our books to develop and learn despite all the difficulties of wartime.

And that is why our social enterprise SotsIntel works so that Ukrainian children, wherever the war throws them, can read books in their native language in an accessible format, receive textbooks adapted in Braille.

In Kharkov, in our rehabilitation center, we organized a New Year's party for 50 children. A New Year's party was organized in Bremen for 40 refugee children from Ukraine.

In Bremen (Germany) we organized a self-help group for mothers of refugee children from Ukraine. Twice a week we hold meetings with children: we read fairy tales, play, communicate, draw, sculpt, bake cookies, drink tea together. This is very important for children. Speak in your native language, be able to rejoice. Once a month we hold meetings for mothers “Vaccination against stress”.

We plan to take an active part in the charity festival in Bremen "Ukrainian Christmas" on January 7

On January 15, an online school for families raising children with complex health disorders "Parent Universities" will start working. We are now conducting a survey of parents to take into account their needs.

Thank you so much for your support! For us it is very important!

A letter of thanks from the mother of a blind boy

Global Given

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Attachments:

A_letter_of_thanks.docx (DOCX)

12 Attachments

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Sep 7, 2022
Our books are needed by blind children in Ukraine.

By Valentina Butenko | Lider projekt

Dear friends!

Our books are needed by blind children in Ukraine.

Our books are needed by blind children from Ukraine in Europe.

For half a year there has been a war in our country and Kharkov is under shelling every day. More than 50 schools were destroyed in Kharkiv, including a school for blind children and a school for visually impaired children.

Russian aggression is stealing childhood from our children.

But we understand that despite the war, blind children need our books to develop and learn, despite all the difficulties of wartime.

And so our social enterprise SotsIntel continues to work so that Ukrainian blind children, wherever the war throws them, can read books in their native language in an accessible format for them.

Now children's interest in the history of our country has grown a lot. Therefore, we paid more attention to books that tell about different periods of our state, about the past of our country, about famous people of Ukraine.

During the reporting period, our readers received such wonderful books about historical events: V. Nestaiko "Magic Glasses", O. Ilchenko "Mysterious Stories of the Old Observatory", Z. Menzatyuk "The Secret of the Cossack Saber".

For teenagers, our team adapted the book by S. Gridin "Not like this", G. Kasdepke "The Big Bang".

We continue to adapt textbooks according to the principles of universal design.

We plan to create a resource center from our organization "The Right to Choose" in Germany to support Ukrainian refugees with visual impairments abroad and we really hope that you will support us. Such support is especially needed for schoolchildren and students who went to study far from their homeland.

We are already printing fairy tales for kids in Braille in German and English. To make it easier for them to learn a foreign language. We printed books: Rotkäppchen, Der Wolf und die sieben jungen Geißlein.

Families from Ukraine who are raising blind children have found temporary protection in various European countries: Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, Italy, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria and others.

And we are looking for ways to get our books to our readers. Braille books have already been sent to the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, Romania, Hungary.

We are already sending them books printed in Kharkov by our team. But shipping takes a very long time. By creating a resource center, we will be able to print books in Germany and our readers in Europe will quickly receive them.

Once again, thank you very much for your support from the blind children of Ukraine.

Attachments:

Feedback_about_our_books.docx (DOCX)

7 Attachments

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