Disabled Children Gain Friendships and Greater Self-Esteem with Big Brothers and Sisters

Life in the former Soviet Union can be very hard for people with disabilities, since society’s attitude has not changed much since Soviet times, when the disabled were looked upon as inferior and "defective" (tellingly, to this day, the official name of the medical field that deals with the disabled is defectology). Those with special needs, including children, are ignored by society and encouraged to stay at home, out of sight. The result is heartbreaking – lonely children without friends and without hope.

But now JDC is giving hope to children with special needs in the Southern Ukraine. An 8,000-strong Jewish community is served by the Hesed Shimon communal welfare center, which has welfare and social programs for the entire population. One of these programs, The Big Brother/Big Sister program, created in June 2000, has been making a difference in these children’s lives.

Caring, loving volunteers are matched with special needs children, becoming their Big Brothers and Sisters. They give the children very special gifts – attention, warmth, and friendship.

Big Brothers and Sisters visit their "siblings" once or more a week and engage in activities previously off-limits for the children, such as walking in the park, visiting zoos and museums, and most importantly of all, spending time with a friend. Through the very warm relationships that develop the children gain a sense of their self-worth and their lives gain meaning – often for the very first time.

In addition to the friendship and attention they receive from their Big Brothers and Sisters, the children, who all come from economically disadvantaged families, receive food, clothing and books. The children are brought to the Hesed where they participate in the Day Center doing arts and crafts, reading, drawing, singing Jewish songs, and celebrating Jewish holidays. They get to know the elderly Hesed clients and form warm friendships with them.

While at the Hesed, the children use a special play room that has been set up for their needs. Volunteer doctors, speech therapists, physiologist, art therapist, and special education teachers work with the children and their parents. Workshops cater to the children’s interests and skills, and the Hesed provides financial aid in the form of presents for the children.

Today, there are thirty children in the program, all with some form of physical or mental disability and the program eventually hopes to increase that number to two hundred. The Hesed would like to expand the Big Brother/Big Sister program to include more disabled children, and offer additional services to help the children maximize their own potentials and become full-fledged members of the Jewish community. The Hesed staff is looking also into involving more specialists to provide more assistance to the children, and to collaborate with other programs, such as Hillel, the Hesed’s Club program, and the Mazel Tov program.