Initiative for social action and renewal in eurasia third sector news information bulletin

Summer Vacation for Disabled and Orphaned Children

By Zohra Jafarova

President

Sahib Society

Life in Azerbaijan is not set up for the disabled.  It is hard not to agree with this statement.  Have

you ever seen special devices to help the disabled use public transportation, or wheelchair ramps

running alongside of stairways in city buildings?  Maybe you have.  But not in Azerbaijan.

In our country, the disabled have difficulty moving around independently, and may even have

difficulty leaving their own apartments.  Life can be extremely difficult for disabled adults, let

alone for children.  But they, like the rest of us, yearn to breathe fresh air, to take a stroll around

town, to attend exhibits and concerts.

The Sahib Society is dedicated to helping children and teenagers who have limited opportunities

available to them.  For the past four years, we have organized a summer camp for disabled

children.  For many of the children who attend, camp has been their first chance to swim in the

sea, get a suntan, and talk with their peers.  We received help from the parents of these children.

Along with the disabled children, our camp is also open to children who live in state orphanages.

The camp provides all of the campers with the opportunity to engage is sports, to play outside,

and to learn in ways in which they do not have the opportunity year round.

Our work with the children is based on the principal that we should treat all of the children

equally, regardless of their physical ability or disability.  The campers take part in activities based

on their interests, including music classes, drawing, pottery, board games and other classes and

activities.  Thus far, the camp has operated with sponsorship from the oil company BP—however,

we hope that we can make the camp an ongoing, sustainable project.  With this goal in mind, we

have organized a summer camp for healthy children from families who can afford to pay fees,

and we use these fees to support the camp for the disabled.

We believe that all of our programs help the children we work with to overcome psychological

barriers, and to learn that they have the right to receive an education and to enjoy themselves, just

like all children do.