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\u201cOur philosophy is that every single child has the right to attend school and receive education. And that includes disabled kids too,\u201d says Tigranuhi Akopyan , director of Armenian Caritas\u2019 day care centre for children with multiple disabilities \u201cEmili Aregak\u201d. \u00a0A joint project of Caritas Vorarlberg (Caritas Austria) and Armenian Caritas.<\/p>\n
In the centre, specialised pedagogues, therapists and trained volunteers attend some 60 children from age 3 to 18. They help them to become as independent as possible to be capable to attend regular school. To achieve this, they focus on enabling the children to deal on their own with basic everyday activities like going to the bathroom or eating. They also invest a lot in strengthening the children\u2019s self-esteem and overcome the unease feeling of \u201cbeing stared at\u201d by others.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Being disabled in Armenia is tantamount to facing many cultural taboos and preconceptions that pile up into, sometimes, insurmountable hinders and social exclusion. \u201cThe mothers of these kids suffer much from that. In Armenia, many still believe that it is the mother\u2019s fault if a child is born with a disability. It is not unusual that the father abandons the mother and their child on that ground. When this happens, these women and children become very vulnerable, they are condemn to poverty and exclusion,\u201d explains Tigranuhi.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Emili Aregak (which means Emil\u2019s little sun) is there for these children and parents. In accordance to Caritas\u2019 preferential option for the poorest, the children are selected on the basis of their family\u2019s socio-economic situation and of the level of disability of the children. The more disability the child has, the more difficulties she or he will encounter to access school and, subsequently, the more the child will be in need of the training that the centre provides.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n However, this does not mean that other children are not welcomed. In the spirit of Caritas, the centre welcomes every children that comes to Emili Aregak. Although they cannot jump into already existing groups, \u201cthey can come and we try to provide some specific service for them depending on available time. But we cannot break the groups. Therefore, they are put in a waiting list,\u201d says Tigranuhi and clarifies that \u201cwe make it very clear for everyone that we are not here to substitute school. We are here to make the kids as self-sufficient as possible for them to be capable to go to school\u201d.<\/p>\n Health, music, arts and friendship\u00a0at the heart of the pedagogy<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The centre provides a multitude of services that are pivotal for the integral development of the children. It also supports their parents to overcome the taboos they are confronted to and cope with the harsh negotiations with schools, which are all too often reluctant to take in disabled children in their premises.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n One would think that the situation is not easy for the schools. They are often located in totally inadequate buildings that are barely adapted for children without disabilities. They are not adapted to facilitate the mobility and access for disabled children. They lack human resources to bring the children to school and back home in a safe way. Most of the teachers are not prepared to interact with disabled children. There are many barriers indeed. However, Tigranuhi strongly believe that this barriers are just details compared with the cultural taboos. \u201cYes, the schools are in bad shape, but taking these kids in wouldn\u2019t require anything that good will and true commitment to their right to education. We are used to dealing with tough conditions in Armenia, we know what it means to be flexible and adapt. It is all a matter of will\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Health is very important for everyone. A healthy body and mind is better fit to learn and work. Therefore, Tigranuhi makes a point of honour that the children coming to the centre are adequately accompanied by a team of physiotherapist, equipped with top modern equipment donated by Caritas Vorberg in Austria. \u201cSometimes, you can feel that it is hard for them, but their will is made of steel. These kids are like superheroes,\u201d says Gurgen Sargsyan, a physiotherapist at the centre.<\/p>\n Quality food is another component of the health equation. Most of the children come from very poor families that cannot afford nutritious food. This impacts both their physical health and capacity of learning. Tigranui explains that the centre provides \u201cbreakfast and lunch. We buy our food from local producers, all production in the region is bio. Some mothers volunteer in the kitchen of the centre and prepare the meals.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hygiene is also taken into account. Especially in the winter when weather conditions can be very rude with freezing temperatures of 20 to 25 celsius below zero. Heating costs eat up almost all the available money of the average population. This situation is extremely hard for the poor, and poor families with disabled membres in particular. The centre is equipped with 4 bathroom and special equipment to lift kids into the bath tube.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThrough music, kids can express so many things that their disability impedes them to express with words. It requires a big amount of patience and tenderness to interact with them. And when you see them playing and smiling, you know that the time invested to reach that moment was really worthwile!\u201d Gaor is a music therapist, specialised in children with disabilities. She helps them to build their self-confidence through musical achievement. They become self-conscious about their capacity to achieve tasks on their own.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Being part of a group of people that support each other and care about you for who you are is a natural necessity for every human being. As social beings, we need to feel that we belong to a community, a circle of friends, a family. The animators of the centre \u2013 supported by trained volunteers \u2013 organise regular social activities that foster cooperation and joint celebration among the children. \u201cCelebrating together their achievements is both a recognition of their work and a strong confirmation that they are not alone, that they have friends who care about them,\u201d this is a quote for any of the animators.<\/p>\n![\"13416849_10154759777042080_4219035987378308529_o\"](\"http:\/\/armenianchurchco.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/13416849_10154759777042080_4219035987378308529_o.jpg\")
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