Teens with disabilities participate in festivity in Botanical Garden

“The young persons with disabilities are part of the society,” said Dorina Baltag, representative of Soros-Moldova Foundation, which finances the project “Civic Education among Adolescents with Disabilities” in concert with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. The project is implemented by the Day Center “Speranta”, Info-Prim Neo reports. The integration of the disabled persons into the society, their rehabilitation and formation of personal autonomy skills are the key objectives of the Day Center “Speranta”, which, at the end of the school year, wanted to sum up the results achieved by its students at a festivity. The Botanical Garden in Chisinau on Tuesday was a meeting place for all the young persons that during the year benefited from consultancy, individualized services and personalized intervention plans, rehabilitation programs, etc. According to Viorica Cojocaru, executive director of the Day Center “Speranta”, the children need the support and goodwill of the adults. “At the end of the school year, the children proved maturity, sincerity and seriousness in everything they did and managed to enrich their knowledge during the programs implemented by us. We are glad that they are again joyful and found their place in the society,” the executive director said. “I’m very pleased that I was invited to take part in this program. I have many friends, do many interesting things and do not stay alone at home anymore,” said the 17-year-old Maria Traistari from Chisinau, who is very optimistic about her future even if she is confined to a wheelchair. “I leant many skills that will help me work like the other people do. I know to communicate with the people, understand them and make them listen to me and understand me,” she added. The project contributed to the cultivation of civic values and to the active engagement of the young people in the community life. Some of these young persons became educators and will organize socialization and formation activities with their fellows. The festivity included lotteries with surprises and contests. Painters taught the young persons to paint, while panpipe singer Iulian Pusca sang songs for them. The teens received candies and presents offered from the funds of the project.