Tsentr Lechebnoy Pedagogiki, Moscow
(Center for Curative Education)

The Pendill Fund provides operational support for the Tsentr Lechebnoy Pedagogiki (Center for Curative Education) which was founded in 1989 by a group of specialists and parents, who recognized that families raising "special needs" children in Russia are confronted with social, psychological, and educational problems. The Tsentr's mission is to provide services to children with autism, speech pathology, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, genetic syndromes, and neuroses as well as support to their families. Assistance is given especially to those children who are not receiving adequate help from the government. Children with behavioral/emotional disorders and learning disabilities also receive individual training courses and study in special workshops.

The Tsentr is one of the first non-governmental organizations in Russia directing its efforts to increasing the developmental and educational levels of these special children, as well as improving their quality of life, and that of their families. It was established by a group of specialists who disagreed with the traditional practices of state-supported facilities. For example, children who suffer from attention deficit disorder (ADD) in Russia are not mainstreamed in schools or kindergartens, but are usually kept in psychiatric hospitals, an unacceptable practice in most countries. The Tsentr helps this group of children, as well as others with more serious disorders. There are eighty staff members at the Tsentr: teachers, mental therapists, speech therapists, psychologists, physicians of various specialties, massage therapists, music, art and play therapists, and others. The Tsentr houses two integrated schools as well as a kindergarten.

Currently, 250 children, up to the age of 18 are being served, and another 100 visit the Tsentr on a monthly basis. Parents are continuously involved with their children's therapy and training, receiving psychological support, methodology, and information as well as being actively supported in understanding and advocating for the rights of their children.

The Tsentr conducts a summer camp for special needs children and their families so that progress and skills acquired during the school year are retained and reinforced. Nature walks, camping and relaxed socializing are just some of the open air activities that these children and families are not able to do in the city. The summer camp provides an opportunity for the medical staff, psychologists and other specialists to be in close contact with the children as well as siblings and parents. The families receive support not only from the professionals, but also from each other, since all who come to the summer camp have to deal with similar problems.

The Pendill Fund hopes to continue support for the Center and help in the financing of similar facilities in other cities.