When a child with the Down Syndrome is born, the parents are in a state of shock, don’t know what to do and thus need assistance. The public association of persons with the Down Syndrome “SUNSHINE” devised a guidebook for parents that was already distributed to the maternity hospitals of the municipality of Chisinau. The effort forms part of the project “I have Down Syndrome! I have the right to life!” that is implemented with support from East Europe Foundation and is financed by the Embassy of Sweden.
In a news conference at IPN, the association’s president Ala Burlaca highlighted the importance of supporting the families where a child with such a syndrome is born. The parents are encouraged not to label the own children and not to believe that they cannot develop and to act as early intervention is very important.
In the framework of the project, the parents of children with the Down Syndrome benefitted from three meetings with specialists from different field: neuro-pediatrician, a representative of the psycho-pedagogical assistance service, a representative of the child protection division. The parents received psychological and informative support, were informed about their rights and the steps they need to take in difficult moments.
A summer camp was planned, but, owing to the pandemic, the activities ere annulled. Instead, all the 165 beneficiaries of the association were offered educative kits distributed according to age and illustrated encyclopedias. October is the Down Syndrome Awareness Month and most of the activities were carried out this month. The association is waiting for the launch of an informative animated cartoon about children with the Down Syndrome. The soundtrack of the animated cartoon was made with the assistance of a child with this syndrome.
As part of the project, they can also buy a projector and a screen for the association as they really need these for their activities. Now the association is having talks with representatives of state institutions so that they are offered the promised spaces.
