School of social and domestic adaptation for children with special needs in Odesa is looking for premises

The Center for Social and Household Adaptation of Children and Adolescents is urgently looking for premises in Odesa: dozens of children with special needs may be left without leisure time.

Iryna Gaberstro, chairman of the board of the NGO “Inclusive Life” and head of the Center for Social and Domestic Adaptation of Adolescents, told this during a briefing at the Ukraine-Odesa Media Center.

“Until the last moment, our sponsors helped us to rent a house at 93 Bazarna Street. There we had a large room and storage space: we had a lot of things for classes. But recently, the house started to literally fall down, one wall is collapsing: this is the result of the shelling of Odesa in the summer. It is unrealistic for all of us to go outside in winter. We are urgently looking for premises for our classes,” said the head of the Center.

The school has 15 children and teenagers with special needs. The organizers do not charge tuition fees – only utility bills from parents who can pay the fees.

“We adapt difficult children: we do sports, dance, and educational subjects. We are constantly helping our Ukrainian military. Our children make food packages and dry borscht. Now we are collecting gifts for Christmas. We also collect aid for Kherson residents and IDPs. We have six mentors who work with the children. It’s good that ordinary people bring us paints and everything for handmade, we are grateful to all our donors,” said Iryna Gaberstro.

Lily Tarazanova, a student of the Center, said that she came to this school with many phobias – she was afraid of people and dogs, of the dark, but now she has adapted and knows how to communicate with children.

“The center gave me more than school: I was afraid of everything there. And here we go on excursions, plant trees and flowers on the slopes. Now we make dry lunches and gifts for our defenders. I am not afraid. Our school’s motto is to help those who need help more than you do,” Lily summarized.

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