Marți, 30 mai, fondatoarea Centrului de zi pentru copii cu dizabilități „Silvia”, doamna Sylvia Brown, a primit din partea Primăriei Piatra-Neamț, prin prezența Paulei Geangalău, o Diplomă de Excelență, ca semn al recunoștinței comunității pentru activitățile și proiectele implementate prin fundația “Haven – Speranța Tuturor”
Odata cu revenirea la Piatra Neamt a Sylviei Brown si a unei echipei din Marea Britanie, la Centrul de zi ”Silvia” a avut loc o intalnire cu parintii copiilor care iau in prezent parte la activitatile centrului, cat parinti si copii care au fost in trecut beneficiari ai acestuia.
Centrul de zi pentru copii cu dizabilitati Silvia functioneaza de 13 ani in Piatra Neamt. Și-a inceput activitatea in 2004, iar licenta pentru furnizarea de servicii sociale o are din 2007. Pentru a preveni abandonul, institutionalizarea sau separarea copilului cu nevoi speciale de parintii sai, Centrul Silvia ofera servicii care vin atat in sprijinul copilului, cat si al intregii familii.
Pe timpul programului de luni pana vineri, de la 8 la 16, copiii au parte de ingrijire adecvata, terapie, recuperare si educatie, activitati recreative si de socializare, dezvoltare a deprinderilor de viata independenta, consiliere si orientare scolara. Pe de alta parte Centrul ofera consiliere si educare pentru parinti sau pentru reprezentantii legali ai copiilor cu dizabilitati.
Suportul financiar al Centrului de zi ,,SILVIA”, este asigurat de fundaţia ,,Haven in Romania” din Marea Britanie, precum şi de donaţii din ţară şi din străinătate
Povestea…
Sylvia si Dennis Brown au venit pentru prima data in anul 1991 in Piatra Neamt cu un transport umanitar. Au fost impresionati de situatia din tara noastra, si s-au hotarat sa revina si anul urmator. Au infiintat in Anglia fundatia ‘Haven in Romania’, prin care s-au strans ajutoare si s-au facut cunoscute nevoile oamenilor si ale unor institutii din judetul Neamt. Astfel au inceput relatiile cu fostul orfelinat de pe strada Castani, Elena Doamna, Leaganul de copii, Scoala Speciala, unde au fost aduse echipamente de joaca si s-au igienizat, vospsit si varuit spatiile.
Familii cu multi copii din Piatra Neamt, Bicaz, Stefan cel Mare, Damuc, familii monoparentale, batrani, au fost ajutati cu pachete alimentare, haine si bani.
Din 1998 pana in 2005, o grupa de copii cu deficiente de la Elena Doamna si mai apoi de la Scoala Speciala si Sancta Maria, care erau integrati in gradinite de masa, au fost sponsorizati cu plata pentru o masa calda si echipamente de joaca. S-au cladit astfel relatii de prietenie, care au rezistat in timp.
Dupa experienta acumulata in acesti ani, in anul 2002, s-a hotarat infiintarea fundatiei ‘Haven – Speranta Batranilor’, in Piatra Neamt, care sa aiba drept scop ridicarea standardului de viata al persoanelor varstnice defavorizate material, prin acordarea de ingrijiri la domiciliu. Clientii selectati au fost peste 100 ca numar, si au provenit din Piatra Neamt, Garcina cu satele Cuiejdi si Almas.
Serviciile oferite au fost: servicii de ingrijire de baza, asigurarea materialelor ajutatoare pentru deplasare si material pentru mentinerea igienei.
Membrii fondatori, hotarasc extinderea activitatii fundatiei si schimbarea denumirii in ‘Haven – Speranta Tuturor’. Astfel, in anul 2004 ia fiinta Centrul de Zi ‘Silvia’, un centru care se adreseaza copiilor cu dizabilitati, venind astfel in sprijinul copiilor si parintilor cu astfel de copii.
Activitatea de asistenta, reablilitare si recuperare a copiilor este sustinuta de cadre calificate, care beneficiaza de ajutorul specialistilor in domeniu din Anglia, care vin de doua ori pe an.
Centrul functioneaza cu copii cu varste cuprinse intre 4 si 16 ani. Personalul centrului recunoaste locul central al parintilor in viata unui copil sau a unei persoane tinere, si de aceea implica activ parintii in viata centrului. Personalul si parintii se intalnesc regulat pentru a discuta progresele si pentru a stabili obiective noi pentru copii.
Din anul 2004 pana in present, un numar de 71 de copii au avut parte de serviciile centrului de zi, multi dintre ei mergand apoi spre invatamantul de masa sau cel special.
Un alt proiect, Centrul de Zi ‘Denis’ – club pentru seniori, ia fiinta in anul 2009, ca o conitinuare fireasca a initiativei ‘grija pentru persoanele varstnice’.
Scopul acestui centru este scoaterea persoanelor varstnice din rutina casei, singuratatii si oferirea unui cadru adecvat in care sa socializeze cu altii de varste apropiate, sa-i stimuleze fizic si intellectual, sa le ofere un sprijin spiritual. Numarul celor care frecventeaza centrul, este de circa 45 de persoane. Acestora, li se servesc prajituri, ceai, o supa calda la pranz, sunt antrenati in jocuri, concursuri intre mese, exercitii de inviorare, si li se ofera raspunsuri la cele mai importante intrebari de natura spirituala. Legandu-se prietenii, participantii Centrului de Zi, prefer sa-si sarbatoreasca la centru aniversarile si evenimentele importante din viata lor.
Toate aceste lucruri nu ar fi fost posibile, daca nu ar fi existat sufletul de aur al familiei Brown. In anul 2005, de ziua lui de nastere, domnul Dennis Brown, dupa o lunga lupta cu boala, moare. Atunci am crezut ca tot ce s-a inceput cu ajutorul lor va inceta, dar Dumnezeu i-a dat putere sotiei sale Sylvia sa continue. Astazi, la cei 78 de ani ani Sylviei, si dupa 26 de ani de slujba in folosul comunitatii, aceasta doamna, simpla pensionara, fara resurse material deosebite, a reusit sa-si convinga compatriotii sa i se alature in acest proiect intinzand o mana plina de dragoste romanilor din Neamt.
(Ela Timofte)
Excellency Diploma for the founder of ‘Silvia’ Day Centre for children with special needs
On Tuesday, May 30 th, the founder of ‘Silvia’ Day Centre, for children with special needs, received from the Town Hall of Piatra-Neamț, through the presence of Paula Geangalău, an Excellency Diploma, as a sign of community gratitude for the activities and projects implemented through the foundation ‘Haven in Romania’.
With the ocasion of the visit of Mrs. Sylvia Brown and a team from the U.K. To Piatra Neamt, a meeting took place at ‘Silvia’ Day Centre, with the parents of the children who are currently attending the Centre’s activities, and also parents of the children who were in the past its beneficiaries.
The Day Centre for children with special needs, has been running for the last 13 years in Piatra Neamt . Their activity started back in 2004 and they have a license to provide social services since 2007. In order to prevent the abandonment, institualization or separation of the child with special needs from its parents, the ‘Silvia’ Centre offers services that support both the child and the entire family.
During the programme from Monday to Friday, from 8:00 to 16:00 o’clock, the children have adequate care, therapy, rehabilitation and education, recreational and social activities, development of independent life skills, counseling and school guidance. Also, the centre offers counseling and education for parents or legal guardians of the children with special needs.
The financial support of ‘Silvia’ Day Centre is provided by ‘Haven in Romania’ Foundation from Great Britain, as well as donations from around the country and from abroad.
How everything began….
Mrs. Sylvia and Mr.Dennis Brown came to Piatra Neamt for the first time in 1991, with an humanitarian transport. They were impressed by the situation in our country, and they have decided to come back the next year. They started in the U.K. the Charity called ‘Haven in Romania’, through which aids were gathered and the needs of people and institutions from Neamt County were made known. Thus began the relationship with the former orphanage on Castani Street, Elena Doamna, and the Special School, where play equipment was brought and the spaces were sanitized and painted.
Families with many children from Piatra Neamt, Bicaz, Stefan cel Mare, Damuc, single-parent families, elderly, were helped with food, clothes and money.
From 1998 to 2005, a group of children with special needs from Elena Doamna and later from the Special School and Sancta Maria, who were integrated in state kindergartens, were sponsored with money for a hot meal and playground equipment. This way friendships were created, friendships that have resisted over time.
With the experience gained in these years, in 2002, they decided to start the ‘Haven-Hope of the Elders’ Foundation in Piatra Neamt, meant to raise the standard of living of the elderly people with difficult financial situations, by providing home care. The selected clients over 100 in number, came from Piatra Neamt, Garcina with the villages of Cuiejdi and Almas.
The services provided were: basic care services, movement and walking aids and hygiene maintenance materials.
The founding members, decide to expand the foundation’s work and change the name to ‘Haven – Hope for All’. This way, in 2004, it is the start of the „Silvia” Day Center, a center for children with special needs, supporting children and parents with such children.
The child care, rehabilitation and recovery activity is supported by qualified staff, who benefit from the help of UK specialists that come to Romania twice a year.
The center works with children between 4 and 16 years of age. The center staff realises the central place of parents in the life of a child or a young person, and that is why actively involves parents in the life of the center. Staff and parents meet regularly to discuss progress and set new targets for the children.
Since 2004 until the present day, 71 children attended the day center services, many of them moving to state schools or special schools.
Another project, ‘Denis’ Day Center, a seniors’ club, started in 2009 as a continuity of the ‘care for the elderly’ initiative.
The purpose of this center is to change the daily house routine of the elders, loneliness, and provide an appropriate framework in which to socialize with others of similar ages, to stimulate them physically and intellectually, to provide them with spiritual support. The number of people attending the center is about 45 people. They are served with cakes, tea, a hot soup at lunch, are trained in games, table contests, rejuvenating exercises, and are given answers to the most important spiritual questions. Because friendships were made, the Day Center participants prefer to celebrate their birthdays and important events of their lives at the center.
All of these things would not have been possible without the precious and kind heart of the Brown family. In 2005, on his birthday, Mr. Dennis Brown, after a long struggle with illnes, dies. Then we thought all that started with them would cease, but God gave strength to his wife, Mrs.Sylvia to continue. Today, at 78 years old, and after 26 years of community service, this lady, Mrs.Sylvia, a simple retiree, with no special material resources, managed to convince her compatriots to join her in this project by stretching a full hand of love to the Romanians in Neamt.
(by Monica-Coralia Tifrea)