News

News from Mkurnali’s shelter

Posted on 8th May 20248th May 2024 By Sarah.SGF

We are very much looking forward to meeting Mkurnali’s residents during the supporters’ trip to Tbilisi this summer. We will meet some longstanding members of the commuity, like Jemal (once a beneficiary and now Nino’s right hand man). We will also meet some new residents, like Luisa, whose story we tell today.

Luisa is an Azerbaijani Kurd and she came to Georgia with her mother and her brothers and sisters when she was a child. The family earned their living by begging and petty theft, but Luisa ran away. She appealed for help so she could study and lead a normal life. First she lived in an orphanage and then in foster care in a town some 200km from Tbilisi.

A visit to The Wish Centre

Posted on 8th May 20248th May 2024 By Sarah.SGF

The journey from Chişinău to Călărași was just over an hour to The Wish Centre for disabled and autistic children and youths. This centre is a beacon for many local families who are raising children with special needs. Currently it is the only place in the region they can turn to for help and guidance.

Eugenia, who is just over 30, saw her life take a dramatic turn a decade ago when her sister lost her parental rights, and Eugenia found herself looking after her niece Ana, a baby with Down syndrome.

Continue reading A visit to The Wish Centre

Retirement of SGF director and Acting Treasurer

Posted on 8th May 20248th May 2024 By Sarah.SGF

Vivian Wright, our longstanding Director and Acting Treasurer, will be retiring at the Annual General Meeting on September 16th. Her invaluable support has been crucial for our charity’s operations and our ongoing commitment to assisting hundreds of children and families from Georgia, Russia, Moldova, and Ukraine. We extend our heartfelt wishes for a joyful retirement to Vivian and remain very grateful for her unwavering dedication and assistance to SGF.

As we navigate this period of transition, we are in search of a new volunteer Director. If you know someone who would be a perfect fit, or if you are interested in taking on the role yourself, please refer to the vacancy details here.

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Making books accessible

Posted on 8th May 20248th May 2024 By Sarah.SGF

If you have young children in your life, you have probably come across the “That’s not my” series of tactile books. The chances are you won’t have seen them in this format.

This spring, our colleagues at Communication Space have been leading workshops on how to adapt books for those with multiple disabilities. The changes may be as simple as making pages easier to turn, or they might involve translating text into the PECS language of symbols used by some non-verbal people. As ever, the adaptations are simple, achievable and tailored to the specific needs of each person.

28 professionals and parents took part in the course and between them they made more than 50 adapted books.

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The family we can’t help right now

Posted on 25th March 202417th April 2024 By Sarah.SGF

In the last couple of months our partners at The Wish in Moldova have been supporting 18 disabled children. Each one of them has a personalised care plan and has benefitted from speech therapy, ocupational therapy and specialist education to help them develop their thinking skills. Two thirds of the families come from rural areas. These areas are already poor, but having a disabled child usually makes it impossible for both parents to work. When a child isn’t able to go to school someone has to look after them. Those who live in the countryside also find it harder to access all kinds of services. Where possible, The Wish provides free transport. Very sadly, they can no longer offer this to everyone who needs it, which means some families are missing out.

The fight to allow Liviu to attend kindergarten

Posted on 20th March 202420th March 2024 By Sarah.SGF

When Liviu was a baby he was very agitated. At a very early age, his parents noticed that he wasn’t starting to babble like other babies. As a toddler, he didn’t respond to his own name and seemed to be in his own little world. He would often have melt-downs. After some time, Liviu was diagnised with autism, a diagnosis which scared his mother.

Now Liviu is nearly five and he has been attending The Wish centre for a year. He has benefitted from speech therapy, occupational therapy, a psychologist and ABA therapy. At first he found it difficult to join in, but little by little he became comfortable with the staff. He stopped crying and started to be interested in the activities and to react to his name.

Parent praises Deaf Club

Posted on 1st March 20241st March 2024 By Sarah.SGF

At first sight, it might seem as if not much is happening at the Deaf Club we sponsor in St Petersburg. Children play, parents chat. They get together for a sing-song and a chat. It’s a relaxed atmosphere, but something extraordinary is happening. Parents are gaining confidence, and children are learning new skills, skills they might not have had a chance to develop so early or so well because they are deaf.

Recently, the Deaf Club surveyed it’s parents. Grisha’s mum, Anastasia, responses show us just what the Club means to families.

What does visiting our club give you?

We go to the Club with our 2-year-old son Grisha. Coming to the Club with my child, I feel calm. I learn a lot bout child development. I can also talk to other parents and discuss problems. Grisha has the opportunity to socialize from an early age, being with both children and adults in the same place.

Mkurnali wins vital healthcare for a former resident

Posted on 28th February 202428th February 2024 By Sarah.SGF

This crumpled mess was all that was left of the car Eka was travelling in, when it was hit by a trailer moving on the opposite side of the road. The car overturned and fell off the side of the road. The other driver, thinking that everyone in it was dead, fled the scene. Eka was a former resident at Mkurnali‘s homeless shelter in Tbilisi, Georgia. Without Mkurnali’s legal help, she would never have won the compensation she so desperately needed to pay for her healthcare after the accident.

Communication Space make communicating worthwhile

Posted on 23rd January 202423rd January 2024 By Sarah.SGF

When talking comes easily to you, it’s hard to imagine finding it so boring, you just can’t be bothered. However, until Pavel started sessions at Communication Space, boredom was seriously holding him back.

Up until last year, Pavel had taken part in various programmes to help him communicate. These even included using alternative communication, since he doesn’t talk. However, the same pattern would emerge each time. He would learn some simple symbols, they would enter his vocabulary, but then he would get bored and stop using them. He was getting quite disengaged with the whole thing until Communication Space tried a new approach.

Exciting trip for Kondopoga’s children

Posted on 11th December 202310th January 2024 By Sarah.SGF