Photo of Dmitriy Smolyanenko ©
All hardships are behind them – now nine little orphans with special needs are taking a turn for the better!
1st of December 2011 was a turning point for the lives of nine boys with special needs from the Chernigiv Children’s Home. That day marks a new page in their new life. Nine children are now happy residents of the “Happy Home” social adaptation group. The main goal of the “Happy Home” is providing children with a family-like environment, complete social adaptation as well as intellectual and physical development.
It’s been already a month since the children moved to their “Happy Home”. How have they been doing these days? The boys are getting more and more independent in their daily routine: they already can make their own beds, wash themselves, brush their teeth and even help to clean the table after lunch. Every day, the children have reading classes with their teacher and a computer course where they learn to type. They are also learning to count. In their leisure time the boys enjoy drawing pictures and making various interesting handicrafts with beads. In the evening they play draughts, and together with their nannies they read fairy tales aloud. Thanks to a local IT company, the boys play happily some developmental computer games. But the most important thing is that the children are learning to be good friends by sharing books and toys with each other. They are learning to help each other and be a real family. Now these children are carefully supervised by a nanny and a teacher who work in two shifts. “Happy Home” resembles the cozy atmosphere of a big family where its little members enjoy comfortable and warm bedrooms and play rooms, a neat kitchen and a bathroom and even a functional classroom. You’re welcome to visit this “Happy Home” and you’re most likely to want to stay there a little longer!
Photo of Dmitriy Smolyanenko ©
Photo of Dmitriy Smolyanenko ©
Photo of Dmitriy Smolyanenko ©
Photo of Dmitriy Smolyanenko ©
Photo of Dmitriy Smolyanenko ©
On the 28th of December 2011 the boys had an exciting opportunity to go to the V.H. Mahar theatre where they enjoyed “Twelve Months” fairy tale. The kids were impressed by the colourful decorations, the New Year’s fairy tale and good performances from the actors. Their faces were shining with joy all the way home to Kalinovka.
Two days later, the little dwellers of the “Happy Home” visited their old friends at the Kalinovka internat and threw a New Year’s party with gifts from Ded Moroz (Ukrainian Santa Claus), holiday costumes as well as singing and dancing around a beautifully decorated Christmas tree. The kids recited poems and sang songs to Ded Moroz, played funny games and the ones who were allowed also enjoyed sweets.
Children watching the fairy tale performance at the V.H. Mahar Theatre in Zaporizhzhia
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The “Happy Home” preparations to New Year’s celebration…
When the party was over our nine friends came back to their own “Happy Home”. Last year they even didn’t dream about their own sweet home. One can hardly dream when there’s no hope…But now the boys’ dream miraculously came true: they finally have their home, the place they always can come back to, study and play. Here they feel themselves welcomed and secure and they will definitely see one day soon that this world needs them. These sunny little children have found hope together in the “Happy Home”!
Would you like to support the children from the “Happy Home”?
At the opening ceremony of the social adaptation group for nine children with special needs on the 1st of December we proudly spoke about the achievements and innovations of our “Happy Home” project. However, we also mentioned that this was just the start of a long journey. We have surely done a lot but so many things are still to be completed. And we honestly hope that you will support us with it!
It goes without saying that a new home needs some additional improvements and furniture to become a comfortable place. The “Happy Home” in Kalinovka is no exception. It is necessary to buy a venetian blind for the kitchen, a partition for the porch area so that it can protect the children from strong cross winds. We also plan to make a place outside for wheelchair storage and paths along which the children could easily drive with their wheelchairs (nowadays the wheelchairs get stuck in the playground since it is covered with rubble).
The children of the “Happy Home” need some developmental games, construction sets, wooden toys, balls of different sizes, solid toy cars and building models (for example Wader toys). It would be great if children could play some musical instruments (children’s drums, tambourines, horns, pianos or keyboards). The handicrafts classes require cardboard, pens, PVA glue (known as school glue) and sketchbooks. You could support the “Happy Home” by delivering \ sending all of the things mentioned above personally to the “Happy Child” charity foundation or straight to the Chernigiv Children’s Home. You can also support our “Happy Home” project by making a donation.
P.S. The teachers see that children have made good and noticeable progress: they have become more responsible, independent and that’s only for a month of living in the “Happy Home”! We truly believe that the boys’ future will be bright!
Photo of Dmitriy Smolyanenko ©
