About 90% of kids residing in orphanages or different care establishments in Armenia have a minimum of one dad or mum. These youngsters have ended up in establishments due to incapacity, poverty, or different causes that made it tough for the households to care for them.
Kids with disabilities are sometimes perceived as a burden by their mother and father and because of this turn into disadvantaged of household heat. To deal with this difficulty, the Izmirlian Basis, along with Bari Mama NGO and the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs applied a mission geared toward supporting the graduates of Mari Izmirlian Orphanage.
The purpose of the mission was to enhance the life abilities of the disabled youngsters of the orphanage enabling them to dwell a full life outdoors the orphanage.
Mediamax talked with Bari Mama NGO’s founder and employees members concerning the progress and outcomes of the mission.
Dwelling on their very own
The mission on “Supporting the graduates of Mari Izmirlian Orphanage” lasted roughly a 12 months, ranging from Might final 12 months.
“The mission beneficiaries usually are not solely the youth who’ve already graduated from the orphanage, but additionally those that nonetheless dwell there, though they’ve reached maturity. With the monetary help of the Izmirlian Basis, two rooms and a kitchen on the second ground of Bari Tnak have been constructed and furnished to permit the beneficiaries of the mission to have an impartial life for a sure time period, making use of the abilities we taught them,” explains Marina Adulyan, the founding father of Bari Mama NGO.
The orphanage graduates collaborating within the mission are within the 16-26 age group. Amongst them are youth with cerebral palsy, developmental delay, down’s syndrome, and different disabilities.
Working with mother and father
“To start with, when these youngsters first moved to the so referred to as “transitional home”, the households continued perceiving them as a burden, a cross to bear till the tip of their lives. After the mission, the mother and father take a look at their youngsters by utterly totally different lenses, having realized that they’re able to being impartial.
In accordance with Nina Petrosyan, the psychologist of Bari Mama NGO, working with mother and father was fairly difficult, as a result of they needed to cope with inflexible and inaccurate conceptions shaped through the years.
Photograph: Mediamax
“At the beginning, it is crucial that folks are conscious of and settle for their kid’s well being points. In the event that they do, additional work turns into simpler. We be in contact with the kids, they usually acknowledge that there’s a optimistic progress of their relationship with their mother and father. That is the very best reward for the work we do,” elaborates Nina Petrosyan.
Emphasizing strengths
In accordance with the psychologist, essentially the most difficult process in working with youngsters with disabilities is overcoming insecurities. These insecurities come from the attention of their downside and lack of affection and a focus.
“The difficulties begin on the very second the mother and father depart their youngsters within the orphanage. Even when they be in contact with the kid, it isn’t the identical interplay the kid would get in a household setting. This lack of household heat and care is what causes their insecurities.
Photograph: Mediamax
To be able to overcome these insecurities, we found their strengths to showcase that though they’re totally different, they will be helpful first to themselves after which to others. This helped them achieve the boldness to self-express in social settings,” provides Nina Petrosyan.
New abilities {and professional} orientation
At first of the mission, a wants evaluation was carried out to determine the wants of every baby.
“By way of data and abilities, the kids’s ranges have been vastly totally different. There have been those that weren’t literate, we needed to begin from scratch with them, whereas those that already knew find out how to learn and write began studying extra sophisticated topics: Arithmetic, Physics, Geography, and many others. We additionally tried to assist the kids with skilled orientation. To do that, they discovered varied vocational abilities in a interval of two months, similar to cooking, carpet weaving and rug making, crocheting, sample reducing and stitching – to assist them achieve the mandatory abilities for an occupation near their coronary heart . As well as they have been taught such primary and important life abilities as calling a taxi, buying in a retailer, and many others.,” explains Lilit Shirinyan, particular educator and social employee at Bari Mama NGO.
Photograph: Bari Mama NGO
Lilit provides that the beneficiaries additionally acquired psychological help and social help, labored with a speech therapist and a physiotherapist, and have been supplied with important home goods.
One of many mission beneficiaries, Satenik, who has cerebral palsy, excitedly shares concerning the new abilities she has acquired.
Lilit Shirinyan
Photograph: Mediamax
“Whereas residing in Bari Tnak, in a form and caring atmosphere, I’ve discovered stitching, crocheting, carpet weaving, and cooking. As a result of acquired abilities I can earn my residing now. I additionally discovered find out how to be self-sufficient and impartial. These are abilities that I at the moment apply in on a regular basis life. I want to thank Bari Tnak for the efficient mission.”
Photograph: Mediamax
Love offers energy
“The interactions with the beneficiaries revealed that earlier than the mission, they felt they have been undesirable at dwelling. It was clear that the kids lacked consideration. Throughout group actions, they have been jealous of one another. If you would work with one of many youngsters slightly longer, the others would begin asking inquiries to get your consideration too. Lack of affection and affection was apparent with every of them. However, they have been very excited with each achievement on the way in which, which together with their heat angle gave us the energy to persevere with our efforts,” says Lilit Shirinyan.
Regrettably, among the youngsters that would not return dwelling on account of varied causes ended up again within the orphanage. Their housing difficulty to be resolved by the federal government remains to be underway. Those that returned dwelling to their households have already began working.
“We facilitated their job placement within the communities they dwell. One of many boys works in building, one of many ladies makes souvenirs, one other one makes equipment at dwelling and sells on-line. We additionally assist them with the gross sales, by our personal communication channels” says Marina Adulyan.
Photograph: Mediamax
In accordance with Marina Adulyan, this pilot mission was an amazing expertise for Bari Mama as nicely. She is hopeful that will probably be an ongoing mission.
“The Izmirlian Basis not solely supported the mission financially, however was by our facet in any respect phases. We had day after day communication and coordination of actions, and any downside was solved with joint efforts. Over the course of the mission, we ourselves have been typically amazed at how mature these youngsters have been, with their very own mind-set and their potential. We discovered lots from them too. I’m sure that the expertise we have now gained will information us sooner or later in altering the lives of different youngsters as nicely,” concluded Bari Mama’s founder.
Gayane Yenokyan
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