Ukraine – Week 2, Day 2

One of TEAMworks Ukraine’s biggest goals is to encourage parents of children with special needs to keep their children. These families have very few resources and receive very little help, so we desire to do whatever we can to educate them, provide them with equipment, and encourage them as they try to care for their children the best they can.

Today was incredibly busy, and the rooms we were working in were constantly packed, loud, and full of activity! Many of the families we saw today have come to see us on previous trips, so it was nice to see them again and see how the children have progressed since last year!

We could probably dub this day “Physical Therapy Day.” Nearly every child we saw needed braces or a walker or both. Danielle is technically the only physical therapist on our team, but Kati stepped in and was a PT for the day as well. They worked incredibly hard all day, but it was well worth it!!

The parents were all so grateful… We gave away two strollers today to two families who have never used a stroller before. Parents normally carry their kids everywhere they go, and elevators in Ukraine are few and far between. We also gave away several walkers to children who really needed them. It was so awesome to watch these sweet kids wearing their new braces and using the walkers like pros! One sweet mother whose son got a walker said she didn’t even know that walkers existed.

Amy and Kara got to work with a little girl who has autism, and were able to show her mother some helpful techniques to help her with communication and behavior. They were also able to talk to a lot of parents about feeding and swallowing, as well as oral motor exercises and strengthening.

Mike measured a lot of children for wheelchairs, and is brainstorming what type of chair might be best since buildings here aren’t very accessible and the terrain is rough and uneven.

A lot of kids saw Allison and Kelly for arm strengthening needs and range of motion for tight muscle tone. They were able to help one little girl sit independently for the first time! Many of the kids had sensory needs and the OT’s introduced sensory strategies to the parents with success.

Overall it was a very busy and successful day for all disciplines. Tomorrow we will be working with families again in a nearby town…at least twice as many as we saw today!

Today we gave away LOTS of the supplies and equipment that we brought with us. It’s great that we were able to give these things to families that really need them, but please pray that we would also have enough supplies and equipment to give to families tomorrow, and to take to another orphanage on Friday.

Also, we were supposed to help move a little girl to a better room at the local orphanage on Monday, but she was sick so we weren’t able to do it. Please pray that she would feel better by the time we return to the orphanage on Thursday so that we can assist with this situation. We feel like this room change is extremely critical for her health and development.

P.S. Shout out to Gran Gran!

comments powered by Disqus