USAID Program Helps Azeri Families Stay Together
In Azerbaijan, the causes of institutionalization are wider and more complex than a family’s financial state. Here, institutionalization nearly always follows a crisis situation which causes parents to realize they are unable to handle their child’s disability. As a teen with mental disabilities, a speech disorder and a history of seizures, Allahverdi Nasibov, 17, nearly faced this situation himself.
Due to his disability, Nasibov generally stayed at home. On the rare occasions when he would venture out, Nasibov was treated poorly by others and had difficulty making friends. Feeling ignored and neglected, Nasibov responded with bouts of aggressive behavior—breaking things—at home.
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Allahverdi learns through one-on-one training to improve his basic academic skills
Photo Credit: Save the Children |
Although his parents loved him, they were unaware of the emotional difficulties Nasibov faced. They struggled to understand his needs and were unsure how to help him with his disability. After much thought, Nasibov’s parents decided to send him to a children’s institution which they believed could better meet his needs.
Hearing about Nasibov’s situation from community members, the Mingechevir Child and Family Support Center staff took steps to offer his family alternatives to institutionalization. USAID-funded Children and Family Support Centers, implemented in Azerbaijan by Save the Children, provide a protective environment for children at risk by lowering factors leading to institutionalization. By holding regular meetings with Nasibov’s family, staff members explained the disadvantages of institutionalized care, which exacerbates disabilities rather than empowering and developing children to their full capacity. Center staff also enrolled Nasibov in an academic skills class to improve his basic reading and writing; joining the Center’s Drawing Club helped him alleviate his emotional problems. The Center also provided the family with counseling, parenting skills training, and moral support to assure that Nasibov remained in an increasingly positive family setting.
As a result of the intervention services offered by the Mingechevir Center, Nasibov has blossomed. Individualized support and social inclusion improved the teen’s self-confidence and personal well-being, which effectively resolved his behavioral issues. Most importantly, recognizing their son’s positive personal growth and the disadvantages of institutionalization, Nasibov’s parents committed to keeping him at home in a fully supportive family environment.
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