At the Rehabilitation Center "Nelishnie Deti" in Beslan
Rehabilitation Center ‘Preodolenie L”, Moscow
Founded in 1992, the Rehabilitation Center “Preodolenie L” in Moscow provides training, education, and physical therapy for disabled children from orphanages and low income families. The goal of the Center is to prepare children to be fully active members of society. The Center prides itself on its unique equine therapy program for children with disabilities. While riding horses, children feel a unique spirit of freedom and relaxation: no need to sit in a wheelchair, hold onto crutches or grasp someone’s hand.
Currently 26 children with special needs are taking the equine-assisted therapy classes at the Center. Each child participating in the program receives 20 free lessons (1-2 times a week) over the course of 8 months. The goal of the equine therapy program is to help children improve their balance, tone their muscles, enhance blood circulation, boost their metabolism, and alleviate depression.
Here is a story about one of the children enrolled at the Center’s equine therapy program. Bogdan, 10 years old, is unable to move and is being fed through a tube. His grandmother was happy to report that after the course of horse therapy at the Preodolenie L Center Bogdan’s back and neck muscles became stronger and he no longer suffers from the digestive tract spasms. During a recent equine therapy class Bogdan was sitting straight on his horse and enjoying the ride.
RCWS has been supporting the Center’s efforts since 2000. In 2018, RCWS provided $17,630 to cover the upkeep and food for horses, riding equipment and other key expenses to run the equine therapy program for the next 8 months.
In 2020, RCWS provided a direct donation of $5,241 from Google employees towards the Preodolenie L equine therapy program.
In 2021, RCWS awarded $12,870 towards the project ‘On horseback to health’ providing rehabilitation to children with special needs through the therapeutic horseback riding. A total of 26 children with disabilities ages 3 to 25 will participate in this project. Each child will receive 20 equine therapy classes during 8 months. The goal of the program is to help children improve their balance, tone their muscles, enhance blood circulation, boost their metabolism, and alleviate depression.
Rehabiliation Center “Krug”, Moscow
Established in 1989, Krug Rehabilitation Center provides educational and rehabilitation programs to children with learning and physical disabilities, currently enrolling 90-100 students. The Center’s programs are designed to help the participants gradually integrate into society while understanding how to best manage their disabilities. The Center also provides part-time employment for children with learning disabilities to help them obtain the workplace training necessary to find a job in the future. In conjunction with their socio-cultural courses, students are offered a stimulating opportunity to experience a new environment outside of their classroom. A vital aspect to children’s development, particularly those with autism spectrum disorders, is travel. When children are introduced to new environments and are culturally stimulated, they become noticeably engaged and joyful. In 2018, RCWS covered summer rehabilitation program and travel expenses for 40 children with autism spectrum disorders and their parents, totaling $5,689.
In 2019, RCWS provided $4,680 to cover summer travel and tour expenses for 70 children with special needs. Such trips are educational and provide important positive stimulation as well as welcome relief for families raising children with special needs. Teachers work not only with children, but also with their parents teaching them coping mechanisms, providing support, and the opportunity to meet other families facing similar challenges.
In 2022, RCWS provided $5,205 to the Center to cover summer rehabilitation program and travel for children with special needs and their parents (10 children and their parents). A summer trip to the retreat is the completion of the annual rehabilitation cycle.
Rehabilitation Center “Nelishnie Deti”, Moscow
The rehabilitation Center "Nelishnie Deti” provides psychological assistance to families and children in crisis. Many of the children who frequent the Center come from broken families and have been through the adoption/foster process a number of times only to be returned to the custody of the government. The center’s mission is to educate parents on how to manage the care of their adopted/foster children while cultivating a supportive and nurturing environment. The Center additionally provides emergency psychological help for children and families in crisis, offers workshops, family trips and counseling by phone or email.In the past, the services were offered to survivors of the 2004 Beslan tragedy, the 2002 Moscow theater hostage crisis and the 2018 Kemerovo fire, among others. In 2018, RCWS provided $10,000 towards psychologist consultations and trips, art supplies, educational materials, and a summer rehabilitation camp for children and families in crisis.
In 2019, RCWS provided $10,000 to support the Center’s programs in Moscow, Beslan in Northern Ossetia, and Inozemzevo in southern Russia. Over 80 families in Moscow, 300 children in Beslan and 150 families in Inozemzevo will benefit from this project.
In 2022, RCWS awarded $10,286 to the Center “Nelishnie Deti” to support its on-going programs in three different locations: Center for Psychological and Educational Support in Moscow; Center for Psychological Support for Families affected by the terrorist attack in Beslan; Center for at-risk families in Inozemtsevo (Stavropol region). Over 70 families in Moscow, 350 children in Beslan and 170 families in Inozemzevo participate in this project.
Rehabilitation Center “Inspiration”, Moscow region, Russia
Rehabilitation Center "Inspiration" was founded in 1999 and provides services to children with special needs between the ages of 6 months and 18 years who are either orphans or come from low-income families. The main goal of the Center is to help children to integrate into society through rehabilitation. There are several long-term, permanent programs provided by the Center such as vocational training, a Theater Studio, a hippo therapy program. Among the classes offered at the Center are school preparatory classes, Math, Art, English, speech therapy, and Music. Hundreds of children have benefited from participating in activities offered at the center and 40 children reside on the grounds during the whole year.During summer over 100 children live at the Center and participate in summer camp activities. RCWS has been supporting the Center "Inspiration" since the year 2000. In 2018, RCWS provided funds towards food, heating, renovation, educational equipment, art supplies, and rehabilitation programs, totaling $15,000. In 2019, RCWS awarded $15,000 to the Center “Inspiration” to cover costs associated with food, heating, and renovation.
In 2022, RCWS allocated $10,000 to the Rehabilitation Center “Inspiration” towards food for 40 children during 6 months and to cover heating expenses during winter.
Center “Kupel”, Moscow region
The educational center “Kupel” was established in 2008. The focus of the center is to assist the children with special needs, orphans, children living in single-parent households, and low-income large families. The Center offers classes in choral singing, beadwork, knitting, drawing, woodworking, English language, developmental games for toddlers, and more.
The Center needed to expand its classroom space in order to accommodate the growing number of children attending the Studio – there are currently 120 children participating in the Center’s programs. With support from RCWS in the form of a $12,670 grant, a second floor and an attic were built atop the existing building and other construction work was implemented. New equipment for the school was also purchased.
In 2020, RCWS provided $8,722 to the Center “Kupel” towards the construction of the sidewalk and new equipment for the Center's classes and studios.
Charitable Organization for Parents of Disabled Children "GOORDI", Ryazan
Charitable Organization for Parents of Disabled Children was established 20 years ago in 1994 in Ryazan and assists families with disabled children by providing medication, food, clothing, shoes; obtaining state financial aid for needy families; organizing summer rehabilitation activities and sightseeing tours for children and their parents. Above mentioned efforts focus on the social and legal rehabilitation of disabled children and help to improve their quality of life.
RCWS has been supporting GOORDI since 2007. In spring 2017, RCWS sponsored a set of programs that would assist 30 children with special needs in their transition to independent life (Project “Big Children”).
In 2020, RCWS provided $1,142 towards the summer activities for children with special needs, that will allow to bring a group of 20 children to the "Pine Forest" recreation center in Aglamazovo. The educational program will include the "Survival School" trainings to improve the children’s cooking skills, hygiene habits and strengthen their health.
In 2021, the RCWS provided funds towards the rehabilitation and educational programs for children with special needs, totaling $6,587.
Naked Heart Foundation, Moscow & Nizhni Novgorod
The Naked Heart Foundation was founded in 2004 by supermodel Natalia Vodianova in the wake of the Beslan school siege. Desperate to do something to help, she had a simple idea to help the little victims heal by providing them with safe outdoor play facilities. Since 2004, the Naked Heart Foundation has built over 100 play facilities and hopes to build 500. In 2016-2017, the RCWS supported the Naked Heart Foundation's Early Bird Program, that gives parents of children with autism the opportunity to communicate, advise one another and work together in finding the best solutions for the problems they face.
Charitable Fund "Life in Motion", St. Petersburg
Founded in 2014, the “Life in Motion” Fund provides monetary and other aid to children with disabilities and orphans with musculoskeletal pathologies.The Fund also brings attention to the problems of rehabilitation for children with disabilities by demonstrating their unlimited possibilities and life in motion through various forms of art, such as photography, cinema, dance, music, as well as sports activities. In May 2019, the Fund launched the first Russian pediatric prosthetics center, “I Want to Walk.” The center provides comprehensive services and rehabilitation, involving leading specialists from the United States and other countries, to allow children to receive modern, technologically improved prosthetics as well as rehabilitation and training. In 2019, RCWS provided $20,000 to cover the cost of prosthetics components and other necessary equipment.
