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Therapy Centre child

Children with disabilities

Therapy and specialist education for children

In Romania there are approximately 72,000 children with disabilities registered in the state records. Many are unable to access mainstream education. FARA offers a lifeline to families who would otherwise be isolated and unable to access support for their children and themselves.

Children with disabilities are one of the most marginalised groups in Romanian society, facing daily discrimination, negative attitudes, lack of appropriate policies and legislation, costly health care impeding mobility and absence of access to mainstream education. All this can endanger the development and life of a child.

FARA Charity runs three therapy centres for children: one in Bucharest, and two in the north east of Romania, the Suceava District. Each centre provides, free of charge therapy and care for children with disabilities from poor families. The centres today support 228 children per week providing social support for their families, physio, speech and sensory therapies for children with a range of disabilities , including those on the autism spectrum.

Our services and therapies

are crafted to wrap around each child’s needs and include one-to-one educational activities, socialising, art therapy, physiotherapy, food, clothing and family guidance support.

Therapy centres

Our three therapy centres work with families to improve their children’s abilities and provide them with care and development so many can go on to attend mainstream kindergarten and school. FARA collaborates with schools to assist with special needs teaching and treatment for the children throughout their school lives.

Thanks to the outstanding results obtained by FARA’s specialist staff, our therapy centres are gaining an enviable reputation with increasing numbers of parents requesting input for their children. There are long waiting lists for those who require our help. Additionally, we work together with universities with physiotherapy students on placement learning from our skilled team of therapists, ensuring the high standards of care modelled at our centres can be duplicated and spread to other areas of the care system.

These deprived communities receive limited government funding. To continue providing them with such a vital resource, we really need your support. We need more funds to bring these services to many more children, giving them every chance of a fulfilled life.

A complex diagnosis

Cristina came to the Rafael Centre with her grandmother seeking support when she had just turned 11 years old.

Cristina has a complex diagnosis including mixed cerebral paralysis and a moderate learning disability.

At 11 years old, Cristina has the cognitive level of a 5-year-old. She is trying to learn her colours and shapes, although a short memory hinders her learning. She is unable to read or to write, but she loves to paint. Cristina is a very joyful and chatty girl, but her dysarthria, which causes slurred speech, makes communication tricky.

Cristina benefits from a variety of services at FARA: physiotherapy, speech therapy and educational activities. After 18 months of working with Cristina, her progress is obvious: she is walking, feeding and dressing herself; she goes to school every day; her posture has improved; she is more willing to learn new lessons and she is pronouncing more words clearly. We are very proud of Cristina, her progress continues to be supported with cognitive, physio and speech therapies.

The family have been closely involved and we value their kind patience, hard work, and commitment to Cristina’s recuperation.

Cristina’s story shows how professional support, perseverance, and a family’s support can overcome any barrier posed by a complex and difficult diagnosis.

Cristina’s story is true, but her name has been changed to protect her identity.

Our impact

  • 630

    Children with disabilities

    have accessed therapy in our centres in the last decade.

  • 67%

    Of the children

    enrol in kindergartens and mainstream schools.

  • 240

    Children

    currently receive therapy across our 3 vital centres.

How you can help...

To continue providing such a vital resource free of charge to those that need it most in Romania and give children every chance of a fulfilled life with their families we really need your support. There is a long waiting list for those who require our help. We need more funds to bring these services to many more children.

Ways to donate
Therapy Centre child

Our therapy centres

The centres provide, free of charge services and therapies crafted to wrap around each child’s needs, including:

  • Physio, speech and sensory therapies for children with a range of disabilities, including those on the autism spectrum
  • One-to-one educational activities
  • Socialising
  • Art therapy
  • Social and material support for the families

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