Friends of Nizhyn Internat

“I, Olena Garmash, have been the director of the Nizhyn Orphanage since April 2003…

The Nizhyn Orphanage in the city of Nizhyn has been operating since 1952. The boarding house is a social and medical institution for permanent residence of children with disabilities aged 4 to 18 and young people with disabilities aged 18 to 35.

The main tasks of the boarding house are:

1) ensuring the rights and interests, day employment, proper living conditions, social and household services, involvement in the life of the territorial community, rehabilitation and provision of medical care to residents/wards;

2) provision of social services such as inpatient care, social rehabilitation, advocacy, social and psychological rehabilitation, as well as, if necessary, palliative care, supported living, counseling, social prevention, crisis and emergency intervention;

3) implementation of a complex of rehabilitation measures in accordance with the individual rehabilitation plan, as well as planned preventive, sanitary and anti-epidemic and health measures.

To date, 103 people with disabilities receive social services in the institution. Of these, 29 are children with disabilities and 74 are youth with disabilities.

28 people live in the palliative care unit (these are bedridden patients who require constant care and supervision, move exclusively in wheelchairs and require special transport for their safe and comfortable transportation to the hospital and other institutions in the city, attending public events for the purpose of socialization and taking an active part in the life of the community).

I am the legal representative of more than 50 children and youth with disabilities, I represent their interests and constantly look for opportunities to improve their living conditions.

Pedagogical, medical, and social workers of the boarding house, rehabilitation specialists, and the organizer of cultural and leisure activities ensure the daily implementation of a complex of rehabilitation activities (including social, pedagogical, psychological, and labor), activities to protect the rights of residents/wards, and their involvement in the life of the territorial community – correctional classes, organization of occupational therapy processes, classes to develop creative abilities, hobbies, educational conversations, thematic and festive events in the assembly hall, sports competitions in the sports hall, excursions, visits to museums, exhibitions, and other cultural and mass events in the city.

Since the full-scale invasion of the enemy into the territory of our country, the institution has been experiencing a number of difficulties: due to frequent alarms, the wards and pupils, together with the staff, spend a lot of time in shelter, which affects the psycho-emotional state of children and youth with disabilities and the service staff, all regime moments and processes of upbringing, training and correction are violated. The pupils and wards are limited in going outside the territory, there is no possibility to organize excursions and trips outside the city, which also negatively affects the psycho-emotional state of children and leads to the asocialization of persons with disabilities. Due to the constant shelling of the territory, namely the loud sounds of explosions, children are scared, cry, cannot concentrate and cannot calm down for a long time, visits to the institution by sponsors and volunteers have decreased, therefore there is no communication of children with outsiders and there are no entertainment programs. Due to the lack of lighting, the organization of leisure activities in the evening will not be fully organized, children will not be able to engage in creativity, read, watch TV and listen to music.

The institution needs a minibus for 8-10 seats, if possible, with an electric lift for bedridden wards, which will allow them to receive medical services and daily medical consultations from specialists in various fields within the city and region, as well as establish social and communicative ties of people with disabilities, the process of socialization and increasing the level of life competence.

Thank you for your desire to purchase such a car for children and young people in wheelchairs and take a successful step towards their comprehensive social and psychophysical rehabilitation, through free and unhindered mobility.

Nowadays, we really want peace, tranquility, love, we want to make plans and dream, travel.”