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FULLIFE Poland does make a difference
Look at the pictures and see for yourself!
We saw a wide range of
diverse needs being met within the FULLIFE programme which includes children
with physical, learning and mental health disabilities on our recent visit.
As the team set off
for Poland we were all excited to be returning to the Educational Childcare
Centre (school) in Slupsk where just over a year ago the charity set up a new
sensory room and daily activity programme for profoundly disabled children. It
only seemed like yesterday that we were all working so hard to ensure the room
was open and available for the children, who prior to this had had limited
opportunities in personal sensory development.
This year’s team consisted of Miriam Conway, Eliza
Davies, Chris and Irene Harriss and myself and as always we all
gelled well together during our visit and complimented each other with our
skills and abilities. Dorota joined us from Koszalin and as always was an
inspiration with her enthusiasm.
We
flew out from Stansted on Monday 4th February and unlike before, when
our flights had been quite turbulent, we had a smooth and enjoyable journey. Miriam kept reminding us that it must have been because of the Irish pilot who
landed the plane so smoothly both in Gdansk and Stansted. Roads were wonderfully
clear, not like the UK, and we arrived safely in our hotel in preparation for
the visit.
School Banner
Great to see all the improvements
On
arriving at the school we were all delighted to see the improvements that Ewa
and Gosia had made to the sensory room and to spend time with the children,
during their daily sessions, as they obviously enjoyed the stimulation and
activities which were part of their programme. A wide range of diverse needs are
being met within the FULLIFE programme which includes children with physical,
learning and mental health disabilities.
We were also encouraged to hear about
the schools “Early Intervention Programme” which was implemented in October 2007
and enables disabled children from 6 months to 6 years to facilitate the school
and its services. This valuable work also utilises the MRCT sensory room and
helps to ensure that this resource is used to its full capacity each weekday
when the school is open.
We
also spent time during the visit meeting with our partners who included the
Director and Asst Director of the school and Pastor Jacek from the Slupsk
Pentecostal Church. They all shared their enthusiasm and excitement for the
project and highlighted the many benefits which have been experienced both for
the school and the church since it started in January 2007.
Pastor Jacek
commented “MRCT have fulfilled a vision
from the Lord when we asked Him to open up doors of opportunity in the
community. You have been an answer to our prayers”.
Since the implementation of the FULLIFE
Programme both the school and the church have jointly worked together at
Christmas to support vulnerable people in the local community and supported over
2000 visitors to the school. Pastor Jacek is also now employed by the school for
six hours a week as a German teacher (God is Good).
As
we flew out of Gdansk on the morning of Thursday 7th February we all
felt very satisfied that the MRCT FULLIFE programme was making a real difference
in the lives of some of the most disadvantaged children at the school. We were
also delighted at the enthusiasm shown towards the work from all of our partners
and looked forward to our return in June.
Gary Knott
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