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LA FONDATION S.O.S. ENFANTS
The "Fondation S.O.S. Enfants" was created in 2004 by Laure St-Amour and Réjean Saint-Yves, following a trip to Guatemala by Mrs. St-Amour. Upon her return, she took on a fund-raising campaign to restore the preschool education system of the Patzun village. She also set up, at the San Francisco de Asis orphanage of Patzun the following:
- a stimulation program for babies in the nursery
- training for daycare and preschool teachers
- workshops for psychomotor development
- fixing-up the premises
- purchase of technical material
Back home, she realized that what she had done in Patzun could be of use in Lanaudière, where she lives (she is also the grandmother of a child with autism and one with cerebral palsy). Her goal, without putting aside her projects in Guatemala, was to create another facet of her charity to help parents of handicapped children in the Lanaudière region. To date, the money collected has been used to help many needy families.
The Lanaudière area has very little resources for special needs children. Confronted with the diagnosis of your child being autistic or suffering from the Asperger symdrome, cerebral palsy, etc. every parent goes through the same stages of acceptance: shock, negation of the diagnosis, questioning and finally acceptance. Unfortunately, most of the major service centers are in the Montreal region and the waiting lists are often very long.
The obstacles parents must face to find adequate services, specialists, stimulation material, transportation to appointments, etc. are numerous and are often added to the responsibilities already present in a normal family(siblings,working parents, etc.). Furthermore, the search for daycare centers which will accept a disabled child and dealing with the school system can be very draining, both physically and mentally.
The creators of "Fondation S.O.S. Enfants" realized that these parents needed more support on a daily basis. There exists hospital charities but no charities exist to help parents on a day to day basis. This is the mission of "Fondation S.O.S. Enfant".
NEEDS (in the Lanaudière region):
- Introduction of workshops on educational approaches for parents as well as sensory-motor stimulation.
- Establishing a reference center to help parents, with the help of specialists, learn how to apply brain gym, TEACCH, neurofeedback, etc. techniques as well as behavioral approaches.
- Financial support to children and their families for supplementary expenses brought on by the child's handicap.
THE CHARITY'S OBJECTIVE:
- Give families having a physically or intellectually disabled child, financial support by giving:
- specialized equipment
- the presence of a specialist at home or in school
- a babysitter for respite
- specialized food
- transportation to appointments
- any other admissible need
MEDIUM AND LONG TERM PROJECTS:
- Support and give the parents and specialists the tools to accompany the handicapped child or child having serious developmental problems.
- Establish parent/specialist groups in order to increase the knowledge and competence of each one in dealing with different types of handicaps.
- Establish reference centers where classes would be offered to specialists and parents through workshops for various educational approaches.
To contact the charity: fondationsosenfants@laccompagnateur.org
To request financial help: Form
To make a donation to the charity: Form
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