A Bridge of Hope, a bridge to the future for disabled children in Armenia

Onnik Krikorian / UNICEF Armenia

According to official statistics, there are over 8,000 children with disabilities living in the Republic of Armenia. In part the legacy of the soviet-era but also the result of the present socio-economic situation, many of these children have been isolated from society and are excluded from mainstream education.

But thanks to an initiative supported by UNICEF and other international donors such as OXFAM, the stigma attached to disabilities in Armenia is now slowly disappearing. Hundreds of children who would otherwise have been denied a proper education can now study alongside those without any disability at all.

"We are creating equal opportunities and access to education for children with disabilities," says Susanna Tadevosyan, President of the non governmental organization (NGO) Bridge of Hope. Established in 1996, the NGO continues to expand based on its experience to date and is implementing programs in nine different areas.

For example, in addition to supporting inclusive education for children with disabilities in five regular schools in the Armenian capital, Bridge of Hope also provides community-based services through Child Development Centers in Dilijan and Ijevan. The two centers were established in 2001 and 2003 respectively. In June 2004, a third was opened in Berd.

The three centers that cater for approximately 400 children are located in Armenia's north eastern region of Tavoush. According to Tadevosyan, Tavoush was chosen for these pioneering centers because as one of the poorest regions of the Republic, it also suffered the most from cross-border shelling during the conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabagh.

Moreover, and unlike other regions in Armenia, there were also no soviet-era specialized boarding schools situated in the region to cater for children with disabilities. As a result, not only were disabled children denied access to mainstream education but they were also prevented from receiving any kind of education at all. Many weren't even taught at home.

"We started to identify the families of children with disabilities and then set about mobilizing the parents," says Tadevosyan. "We identified the children through the local social services but even so, some families still preferred to hide their disabled children from the community, especially those living in villages."

As a result, while the centers cater for children aged from three years of age to eighteen, some children aged fourteen or fifteen had never even attended school before. "It very difficult to educate these children," says Tadevosyan, "but it is certainly not too late."

"My daughter was born with Cerebral Palsy," says one mother whose child has benefited from the work of the NGO. "Relatives tried to convince me that my daughter, Ashkhen, wasn't normal and would destroy my life and that of my family. My husband abandoned me and I was left alone with my child."

Ashkhen grew up in isolation and was deprived of the opportunity to interact with other children until she was later enrolled into a specialized boarding school that offered only a watered-down curriculum for children with learning disabilities. Separated from her mother for most of the week, Ashkhen returned home on weekends. In 1996, however, when her mother heard about the Bridge of Hope NGO, Tatevik was eager to find out more.

"When I entered the center the first thing I noticed was that there were non-disabled children there," she says. "I never thought that disabled and non-disabled children could relate to each other." Sixty percent of the children that attend are not disabled and of those that are, nearly half are diagnosed with cerebral palsy and a third with Down's Syndrome.

Over the years, while still attending the specialized school, Tatevik says that Ashkhen developed quickly, becoming more communicable and confident. In 1999, at the age of 15, Bridge of Hope helped Ashkhen make the move to a regular school close to where she lives. She is now one of the most active and high-achieving children in her class and thanks to including both disabled and non-disabled children in the centers, stereotypes are being broken down.

UNICEF started collaborating with Bridge of Hope in 1998 and continues to support the NGO with technical support for its community based centers. "UNICEF is like a resource center for us," says Tadevosyan, "especially when it comes to advocacy and lobbying work. In fact, it is very important for us to have this support because with it, we feel empowered."

However, sustainability is the key and Tadevosyan also says that it is the goal of the NGO to partner with local authorities and communities. The model they are creating for inclusive education in Armenia has also attracted the attention of NGOs hoping to achieve similar results in neighboring Azerbaijan and Georgia.

And the impact is certainly felt in Armenia. Five years ago, Bridge of Hope established the monthly "Sunflower" magazine which is distributed to children in 50 regular schools in Yerevan and the Tavoush region of the Republic. Both children with and without disabilities provide the content for the magazine and are involved in every aspect of its production.

"The magazine aims to raise awareness and change the attitude towards disabilities," says Tadevosyan. "Through it, we can involve all children in advocating the rights of the child as well as change the perception of society towards those with disabilities."