Transforming the lives of neglected children in Belarus, Moldova, Russia & Ukraine

Speranta's goal is to achieve total inclusion of disabled children into Moldovan society.

For years disabled people have existed in a "parallel world", out of sight of the vast majority of the population and severly lacking equality of opportunities, including opportunities in education. Speranta’s priority is to challenge this and bring children with special educational needs out of their isolated environment and into mainstream education.

Already more than 400 children are attending over 100 different mainstream educational institutions and 390 teachers have been trained in the special care techniques required to educate children living with disabilities.

As a result of our initiative a substantial number of disabled children receive an education and are socially included. With their children in school, parents have the opportunity to seek employment, and can avoid the isolation that constant care creates.

For some families, especially those in single parent households, this has been a crucial breakthrough in helping to break the cycle of poverty and isolation and even more importantly this will form the basis from which more people will be able to transform their lives.