Jason called this morning after the meeting at Pahinets on parent advocacy.  He said after Rob’s talk, Victor, the pioneer parent of the parent association who began the group in 2003, spoke to the parents feeling very encouraged and ready to organize and plan to approach the local government.  Jason described the room as a circle of parents around Victor exchanging phone numbers and excitedly talking all at once.  The parents are encouraged by Rob’s suggestion to have a parent advocate working with them, and Jason and I further discussed the need for legal council to be provided to the parents.  He will be discussing this need with Victor.  We will work to provide the support to the parents that they need in order to advocate in their community for these children with disabilities to have a public school education. 

 

After the conference was over, Victor talked to Tamara, the director of the Pahinets Early Intervention Center, about adding first grade for kids with disabilities in her school for next year.  You see, Victor has a little boy named Anton who has Down syndrome.  He attends Pahinets school and is just this week finishing the kindergarten program.  There will be no more public school for Anton…..until today.  Victor would not back down until Tamara agreed to add first grade to her school for next year.  Anton will be a first grader at Pahinets next year.

 

Jason worked through the details with Lyubov (head of the Ukrainian-American Birth Defects Program) and Tamara (Pahinets director) to provide two speech therapists to provide services throughout the summer for the children when school is not in session with USNOF funds.

 

We will also work to raise the funding to provide two additional therapists to the Pahinets School for the period of one year at $250 a month for each position while the parents organize and approach their government to get these positions funded locally as well as other positions that are needed in order for the school program to grow.

 

If any of these causes tug at your heart, as they do mine, please let us know how you can help.  Keep further developments in your prayers!!

 

I hope to hear more from other team members on the VBS team and Care and Repair tomorrow.  

 

We’ll keep you posted as we hear news!  You do the same!

 

Blessings,

Karen