UN Deputy Secretary General Amina J. Mohammed is welcomed at the center

UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed visited the national rehabilitation center for children with disabilities on 20 February. She spoke highly of the level of public private partnership and cooperation with public organizations in enabling equal development conditions for all kids.

Deputy Chairwoman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus, national SDG coordinator Marianna Shchetkina took Amina Mohammed on a tour of the facility to demonstrate how comprehensive step-by-step rehabilitation of children is organized through cooperation between education and healthcare systems, private partners, and volunteers.

According to Lyudmila Kondrashova, director of the center, the center’s work corresponds to the Sustainable Development Goals. “We also work in healthcare and follow the motto ‘No one is left aside’ because we interact with regional labor, employment, and social security committees. We expand the lists of children in need of rehabilitation. A full-fledged education program has been organized. Even career guidance is available. There is a lot of gaming elements, too. We also provide psychological support to mothers of our students. Thanks to the convenient location in Sevastopolsky Park we teach children to take care of nature. Instead of simply arranging an acceptable environment for kids with special needs we try to help them join the society as full-fledged citizens,” noted Lyudmila Kondrashova.

The national rehabilitation center for children with disabilities was opened as part of the program Children of Belarus in 2000. It is designed to accommodate 120 kids at a time. The center was designed bearing in mind similar European institutions in order to offer comprehensive rehabilitation to children aged 3-18, who suffer from nervous system and musculoskeletal system disabilities with grievous results. Over the course of 17 years the center has offered rehabilitation courses to over 17,678 kids.