Inclusive kindergarten helps reunite family
In his early years Bombora was diagnosed with Down Syndrome, and Keto, a single mother, could not provide him with the special care her son needed, so she made the agonising decision of placing him in the Makhinjauri children’s institution.
But despite receiving very basic physical care in the institution, Irakli, like so many other children in Georgia’s institutions, was starved of the love, affection and socialisation they so desperately need.
Recognising the massive gap in services for parents of children with disabilities, World Vision began setting up inclusive kindergartens in 2007, bringing together children with disabilities and other children their age, under the supervision of professional teachers. In September 2007 an inclusive kindergarten opened in Batumi, enabling Bombora and his mother to become a family unit once again.
Now, Bombora can eat independently...he plays with children and is already communicating Bombora has been attending the kindergarten since it opened. Keto can work during the day while Bombora is in a safe and friendly environment, and in the evening he goes home to be with his family. Though Bombora cannot talk, his actions and mannerisms clearly show that he is happy and comfortable in these new surroundings.
“It is difficult for me to compare that period with this, Irakli was absolutely different then,” Keto says.
“He had no contact with anybody. He was always sad. And every time he saw me, he was crying; he wanted to go home with me. For me it was the hardest period of my life.”
Before attending kindergarten, Bombora did not receive any medical treatment and had no life skills.
At the kindergarten, however, that is changing.
“Now, Bombora can eat independently. He goes to a speech therapist and afterward we exercise him,” Lali, a teacher at the kindergarten, says. “He plays with children and is already communicating.”
It was four months before Lali and the rest of the teachers saw a change in Bombora’s behaviour. At first he would hide from everyone and could not interact with other children. On several occasions he even tried to escape. Over a year later he has completely changed and often at the end of the day he does not want to go home.
“I am amazed with all those changes,” Keto shares. “He does not hide his emotions and is a warm and open child. He loves this atmosphere, the people around him, and he feels that everybody loves him and takes care of him.”
World Vision is first organisation to open inclusive kindergartens in Georgia. The inclusive kindergartens aim to prepare children with disabilities to integrate into society and for inclusive school education.
My day starts with these children, and when I am at home, they are in my thoughts The Mayor’s offices in Kutaisi, Batumi and Tbilisi all agreed to allocate space for these classes. The result was so successful that the Mayors of Batumi and Kutaisi assumed the financing at the beginning of 2008.
Nino spends most of her day at an inclusive kindergarten in Kutaisi, a major city in western Georgia, taking care of and teaching 17 children with disabilities.
“My day starts with these children, and when I am at home, they are in my thoughts,” she says.
Since the inclusive kindergartens are the first of their kind in Georgia, it has been a challenge to recruit and train competent teachers.
World Vision conducted training for teachers like Nino, who says the experience of being with the children day in and day out teaches them more every day.
“From the very first day I began working here, I felt so much energy from these children that I don’t even feel tired after finishing the day,” Eliso another teacher, says.
An occupational therapist visits the kindergarten every month to guide the teachers in their care, giving them exercises for the children as well as methods on how to relate to them.
“Sometimes we need several weeks to teach some of these children very elementary skills,” Nino explains, “but the work is worth it. In the end, some of them are able to pronounce some words, eat independently, play, [and] listen.”
The children’s parents seek ways to express their appreciation to the kindergarten, its staff, and World Vision. Some of them even published a letter of gratitude in a local Kutaisi newspaper.
“How can I thank these people? They are doing unbelievable things with our children,” Mary, a parent, says. “All of these children have shown so much progress after attending this kindergarten.”
How can I thank these people? They are doing unbelievable things with our children Now, many of the parents are no longer surprised with the successes of their children as they describe that these successes are constant, daily, and numerous. Some of the children know poems, some sing, some eat independently, and the list goes on.
“When we first managed to teach Tamuna how to eat independently it was a huge success - her parents were very happy,” Nino says about 12-year-old Tamuna, who was not able to do anything independently when he began attending the kindergarten.
And for the children, the successes are not just tangible, they are emotional and psychological.
“I like it here,” Nino, a six-year-old child who attends the kindergarten, says. “I have friends here.”
Nino’s mother says her daughter does not like weekends anymore and wants to be at the kindergarten all day, every day. The kindergarten is the only place where she interacts with other children, and she enjoys the company of the teachers as well. In fact, they all do, and continually vie to be the centre of the teachers’ attention.
-Ends-
But despite receiving very basic physical care in the institution, Irakli, like so many other children in Georgia’s institutions, was starved of the love, affection and socialisation they so desperately need.
Recognising the massive gap in services for parents of children with disabilities, World Vision began setting up inclusive kindergartens in 2007, bringing together children with disabilities and other children their age, under the supervision of professional teachers. In September 2007 an inclusive kindergarten opened in Batumi, enabling Bombora and his mother to become a family unit once again.
Now, Bombora can eat independently...he plays with children and is already communicating Bombora has been attending the kindergarten since it opened. Keto can work during the day while Bombora is in a safe and friendly environment, and in the evening he goes home to be with his family. Though Bombora cannot talk, his actions and mannerisms clearly show that he is happy and comfortable in these new surroundings.
“It is difficult for me to compare that period with this, Irakli was absolutely different then,” Keto says.
“He had no contact with anybody. He was always sad. And every time he saw me, he was crying; he wanted to go home with me. For me it was the hardest period of my life.”
Before attending kindergarten, Bombora did not receive any medical treatment and had no life skills.
At the kindergarten, however, that is changing.
“Now, Bombora can eat independently. He goes to a speech therapist and afterward we exercise him,” Lali, a teacher at the kindergarten, says. “He plays with children and is already communicating.”
It was four months before Lali and the rest of the teachers saw a change in Bombora’s behaviour. At first he would hide from everyone and could not interact with other children. On several occasions he even tried to escape. Over a year later he has completely changed and often at the end of the day he does not want to go home.
“I am amazed with all those changes,” Keto shares. “He does not hide his emotions and is a warm and open child. He loves this atmosphere, the people around him, and he feels that everybody loves him and takes care of him.”
World Vision is first organisation to open inclusive kindergartens in Georgia. The inclusive kindergartens aim to prepare children with disabilities to integrate into society and for inclusive school education.
My day starts with these children, and when I am at home, they are in my thoughts The Mayor’s offices in Kutaisi, Batumi and Tbilisi all agreed to allocate space for these classes. The result was so successful that the Mayors of Batumi and Kutaisi assumed the financing at the beginning of 2008.
Nino spends most of her day at an inclusive kindergarten in Kutaisi, a major city in western Georgia, taking care of and teaching 17 children with disabilities.
“My day starts with these children, and when I am at home, they are in my thoughts,” she says.
Since the inclusive kindergartens are the first of their kind in Georgia, it has been a challenge to recruit and train competent teachers.
World Vision conducted training for teachers like Nino, who says the experience of being with the children day in and day out teaches them more every day.
“From the very first day I began working here, I felt so much energy from these children that I don’t even feel tired after finishing the day,” Eliso another teacher, says.
An occupational therapist visits the kindergarten every month to guide the teachers in their care, giving them exercises for the children as well as methods on how to relate to them.
“Sometimes we need several weeks to teach some of these children very elementary skills,” Nino explains, “but the work is worth it. In the end, some of them are able to pronounce some words, eat independently, play, [and] listen.”
The children’s parents seek ways to express their appreciation to the kindergarten, its staff, and World Vision. Some of them even published a letter of gratitude in a local Kutaisi newspaper.
“How can I thank these people? They are doing unbelievable things with our children,” Mary, a parent, says. “All of these children have shown so much progress after attending this kindergarten.”
How can I thank these people? They are doing unbelievable things with our children Now, many of the parents are no longer surprised with the successes of their children as they describe that these successes are constant, daily, and numerous. Some of the children know poems, some sing, some eat independently, and the list goes on.
“When we first managed to teach Tamuna how to eat independently it was a huge success - her parents were very happy,” Nino says about 12-year-old Tamuna, who was not able to do anything independently when he began attending the kindergarten.
And for the children, the successes are not just tangible, they are emotional and psychological.
“I like it here,” Nino, a six-year-old child who attends the kindergarten, says. “I have friends here.”
Nino’s mother says her daughter does not like weekends anymore and wants to be at the kindergarten all day, every day. The kindergarten is the only place where she interacts with other children, and she enjoys the company of the teachers as well. In fact, they all do, and continually vie to be the centre of the teachers’ attention.
-Ends-
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