The Gift Foundation and Perkins School will improve the education system for blind children

The Dara Charitable Foundation has signed a three-year contract with Perkins School (USA). The parties agreed to cooperate in order to improve access to quality education for visually impaired children.

The first beneficiary of the project is School No. 4 named after M. Ostrovsky in Almaty. This is the oldest school in Kazakhstan, teaching blind and visually impaired children by the Education Department of Moscow. Almaty, the Dara Foundation and Special Boarding School No. 4 signed a memorandum on the implementation of a program to improve the education system for children with visual disabilities and multiple developmental disabilities.

The first phase of the project began on February 6, 2023. Dariya Udovivich, Director of the Perkins School for Europe and Eurasia, and Sonya Alimovich, coach and consultant at Perkins School, visited the Perkins School. Ostrovsky in Almaty. During the visit, international experts attended classes, got acquainted with the living conditions of children in the boarding school, and also held meetings with teachers in groups.

The Perkins School is a world leader in education and the oldest educational institution in the United States, which opened in 1829 and provides comprehensive education for children with visual impairment and multiple developmental disabilities aged 3 to 21 years. Including deaf-blind people. The school operates in 97 countries around the world.

To date, 11 schools for visually impaired children have been opened in Kazakhstan, with about 1450 children studying. The number of visually impaired children in Almaty is approximately 456. More than half of them study at Special Boarding School No. 4 for blind and visually impaired children. In addition, home-schooled children are attached to the school.

It is planned that as part of the implementation of the second stage of the project, teachers of School No. 4 named after M. Ostrovsky will share their experience and best practices with colleagues across Kazakhstan.

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The mission of the Dara Foundation is to implement projects aimed at improving living conditions, socializing and expanding development opportunities for orphans and children with special educational needs.

The Foundation also participates in developing proposals to improve legislation and practice regarding the implementation of the rights of children with disabilities and orphans, and cooperates with other public organizations in promoting reforms.