Center Expands One Family’s World
Public opinion often determines people’s choices. That was the case for Ulduz Khanim, an Azerbaijani mother of four children living in Goranboy, Azerbaijan. Her only son, 13-year-old Rasul and one of her three girls, three-year-old Sheker, have special needs. Ulduz’s husband lives in Russia earning money to support the family, leaving the full responsibility of raising children and dealing with neighbors’ criticism of her parenting abilities on her own shoulders.
 |
USAID-funded Children and Family Support Centers open up a whole new world to families with children with special needs. Rasul and Sheker finally are able to interact with both peers and adults during therapy classes at the Center.
Photo Credit: Save the Children |
Afraid of others mocking her children, particularly Rasul and Sheker, Ulduz isolated her family from the world beyond their home, rarely participating in public occasions, even family celebrations. Without outside support, Ulduz never learned how to positively discipline and develop her children’s basic life skills.
When rehabilitation staff of the USAID-supported Children and Family Support Center learned of Ulduz’s family through the regional clinic, they reached out. The staff initiated informal visits to the family, teaching Ulduz about child development, interactive learning techniques through games, and positive communication with her children. Most importantly, Center staff encouraged Ulduz to pursue the Center’s main objective – to integrate children with special needs into the community for their own wellbeing and development.
Not long after the visits, Ulduz began to bring her children to the Center. Rasul and Sheker now had the opportunity to socialize with other children. Their two sisters joined them in the Center for sewing and knitting classes. Through integration and support, Rasul and Sheker developed the skills to thrive within the outside community. Ulduz herself became an active participant of the Center’s Parents’ Association, a parent-initiated group that enables parents to share the needs of their children and encourage them to be addressed by their community. She understood that if other people with more significant problems than her own are able to fully enjoy life, she and her family could too. Through interaction with others in the Parents’ Union, Ulduz not only learned the skills to improve the lives of her whole family, but also how to provide the same kind of support to other local families looking for help.
Back to Top ^ |
