L A B O L G THE D FOR FUN OTTEN G FOR OPLE PE
No one is
Forgotten One in 10 children in the world has to cope with a mental or physical disability and 80 per cent of disabled people live in developing countries, according to the World Health Organization’s world report on disability.
I
n some nations, people with disabilities may be disowned, excluded from their community or consigned to inadequate care homes. Often, it’s the very privileged few that are able to access the right care and support throughout their lives. Many of the rest of these individuals are forgotten. The Order of Malta’s Global Fund for Forgotten People provides support and help to those in need, particularly those that go unnoticed. The Fund, for instance, supports the work undertaken by the Order through the provision of therapy, dedicated support centres, and holiday camps for the disabled across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. One such project included in our St John’s Day 2018 grant cycle, for instance, is a kindergarten run by the Order in Romania, which aims to aid the recovery and rehabilitation of children with severe neuromotor disabilities. As the only organisation providing support in the area, the kindergarten focuses on supporting children from care homes or modest backgrounds, who would not otherwise have access to such care. Special educational activities develop cognitive functions and are tailored to meet the needs of each child. Daily activities encourage children to acquire knowledge, stimulate thinking, and build on memory and language skills. Receiving this specialised treatment at an early age provides
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2018 Australian Hospitaller
