A team from the Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya and five Swiss specialists worked at the Vilshany Children’s Orphanage for a week. The visit was organized and funded by the Association "Parasolka" (Switzerland), in particular, among the visitors was Margrit Kottmann, a member of the Presidium of Association "Parasolka", who, together with her husband Hans, initiated the creation of a common space for the children’s leisure time in the institution. But let’s talk about everything in order.

New communication methods make it possible to establish contact with a child, even if the child with a disability has a speech disorder

Swiss alternative communication specialist Susanna Bernar visited Vilshany, where, together with Nadiya Danch and Lesya Levko, project coordinators of CAMZ, she worked with the children of the orphanage and conducted training sessions for the teachers of the institution and staff of the Drahovo Inclusive Resource Center. Among other things, communication plans were drawn up for children who are being prepared for relocation to a building renovated by the Committee. Susanna Bernar provided useful advice on how to arrange the space in the new building. Her expertise covered rehabilitation rooms, recreation areas for children of different ages, and offices for specialists who will work with the children individually. 

The Swiss specialist conducted a series of training sessions for Ukrainian colleagues, primarily on working with pictograms – cards depicting actions, emotions, and states that children with disabilities can identify and perceive in order to understand, for example, the daily schedule or lessons with teachers. Incidentally, the Boardmaker platform was used to create the pictograms, the sixth version of which now offers a search function and a selection of special images in Ukrainian. We would also like to thank the publishing house Autismusverlag and the consulting agency Active Communication for providing teaching materials. We believe that the knowledge and skills gained, as well as modern tools for alternative communication, will be integrated into the work with children both in the Vilshany institution and in the social protection system in Ukraine as a whole.

A wheelchair must be – must be in good working order – must meet the individual needs of the user

Technician Andreas Walter worked in Vilshany, assisted by the Committee’s office manager Anhelina Kykyna. Over the course of five days, 17 wheelchairs were adjusted for residents who are preparing to move to a new building, and routine repairs were carried out on the wheelchairs used by other children at the facility. And two young men, Eduard and Ihor, who are currently studying at the "School of Supported Living", started to use electric wheelchairs. Traffic in the orphanage is gradually increasing, but, as Ihor says, the main thing is not to violate the speed limit.

Improving techniques and approaches to work in the felting workshop

In the felting workshop, Viktoriya Krichfalovshiy, a vocational training instructor, was working with Swiss colleague Marlis Kaufmann-Hunkeler, who had previously been actively involved in developing employment opportunities for children from the Vilshany orphanage. The craftswomen were assisted by Nataliya Kabatsiy, director of Charitable Organization "Charity Fund "Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya", and Lesya Levko, project coordinator of the Committee. 

This time, the felting training included several components: classes with young people with disabilities, joint work to improve the learning process with the aim of attracting new learners to felting, and improving the arrangement of the space in the workshop. Marlis Kaufmann-Hunkeler brought interesting wool products and lots of material as examples, offering to teach new working techniques. As a result, by the end of the week, the instructors and learners had created beautiful flowers and decorations for the future area near the workshop. After some discussion, it was decided to rearrange the workplaces for classes. As a result, the tables were moved, which added light and functionality.

Discussing the methodological aspects of the workshop, the specialists agreed that advance planning of classes allows all workshop attendees to be involved in the creative process, regardless of their condition. At the same time, it is equally important to analyze the results of daily work, as this will optimize the process, primarily in terms of preparing lesson plans and the necessary materials. 

"Kolo" ("Circle") is about communication, friendship, and healthy leisure activities

Margrit and Hans Kottmann, wife and husband, brought to Vilshany the idea of creating a common space for visitors to the workshops to relax, something that both instructors and learners had long requested. The construction process was exciting, and dozens of people got involved. It all started in a woodworking workshop, where local instructor Vasyl Kykyna and his Swiss partner Hans Kottmann, together with the orphanage’s residents, were making benches. High-quality wood was provided by Jacques Duplessy, a friend of the Committee and co-founder of the Association SAFE (France). Despite the language barrier, there was complete harmony within the team. As a result, instead of the planned seven, ten comfortable and reliable benches were made. 

The location for the future site was chosen under spreading apple trees. A fire pit was installed there, and a circle was laid out with river stones and paving stones, which inspired the name for the location. The space was arranged by Ms. Margrit, together with the medical coordinator of CAMZ, Tetyana Hoydash, and the spokeswoman of the Committee, Kateryna Irkha. They decided to paint the stones collected with the children, which turned into a series of interesting open-air master classes. Incidentally, as many as 277 brightly colored stones were laid out. Later, an arched entrance to the "Kolo" ("Circle") was built from willow, and the staff promised to take care of the tree so that it would take root there. The arch was decorated with crafts from the felting workshop, and the surrounding area was decorated with colorful flags.

While work on "Kolo" was underway, the children waited for the opening, or more precisely, for a picnic by the bonfire. The opening exceeded all expectations. It was joyful, noisy, warm, fun, and delicious. Words cannot convey the atmosphere of the event, so we will leave you with these eloquent photos. 

The new location is ideal for spending time together – here you can see each other, communicate, plan and implement something, and it is also the perfect place to just be alone with yourself, enjoy the scenery and any season of the Carpathian foothills. So, if you are in Vilshany, welcome to "Kolo" and have a cup of coffee at "Kosytsia"! 

Summing up the visit, Margrit Kottmann, a member of the Presidium of Association "Parasolka", noted that everything planned had been accomplished during the five days, and the working atmosphere was so inspiring that it was already time to plan the next activities. For her part, Marlis Kaufmann-Hunkeler added that in the seven years since her last visit, the Vilshany Children’s Orphanage had undergone significant positive changes. In particular, through the joint efforts of the Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya and Swiss partners, sanitary rooms and workshops were equipped, a building was constructed for practical classes with the children and staff training, and an inclusive café-shop called "Kosytsia" was opened. And thanks to the project "Improving the Protection of Children in Emergencies in Ukraine by Providing Safe Shelters, Food and Non-Food Items, and Psychosocial Support", which the Committee is implementing with the support of "terre des hommes Deutschland e.V." and funding from the German Federal Foreign Office, the institution received two additional renovated buildings.

As a reminder, last October, Claudia Leu, a physiotherapist from Switzerland, worked in Vilshany for a week, conducting a series of training sessions for staff and short physiotherapy sessions for orphanage’s residents with complex disabilities. Ms. Claudia and her colleague will continue their work at the orphanage in June this year.