Click here to help the children of Shalva
The current reality is trying for all of us; but Shalva’s children and adults with disabilities and their families face especially difficult challenges.
“If you step into the shoes of a child with disabilities,” explains Avi Samuels, Shalva’s Global Chairman. “The home environment can be challenging to navigate; and all the more so during circumstances involving long stretches of time and quarantine. They require a great deal of attention and care, which can be extremely onerous for their families. Moreover, isolation is often more intense for children with disabilities and their families and many children experience developmental regression with long-term implications.”
Shalva is turning to their friends, partners, and the broader community. “At Shalva, we are committed to doing everything possible to provide care, stability, and peace of mind.
Join us in this effort. This year, we need you more than ever. These unprecedented challenges and the lockdown imposed on all of us makes for a situation that necessitates all the more support," explains Samuels.
“My son Or is ten years old and doesn’t communicate well with his surroundings, he has Autism and other intellectual developmental disabilities. At Shalva he is happy and flourishing, he enjoys every afternoon with friends and dedicated staff who have found incredible ways to communicate with him” says Netta-Li, Or Gal’s mother. For Or and his friends at Shalva, life’s day-to-day routine is vital. Dedicated rehabilitative care must be consistent in order to prevent significant personal and social developmental delays; which are already being compromised by the current pandemic regardless of the lockdown.
Between the first and second lockdowns, Shalva continued to provide rehabilitative programs around the clock, seven days a week, with a dedicated staff of therapists and volunteers and strictly enforced COVID policies which prioritize everyone’s health and safety above all.
In Shalva’s message to the public, the organization said: “Shalva’s unique strength lies in the hope and optimism that fill the lives of our children and families. This is how we have changed the lives of thousands of people over the past thirty years; and we will continue to do so for many years to come. During this time of year, traditionally associated with renewal and giving, we ask you to partner with us in this effort. We are stronger together; and with your help we can continue to be there for thousands of children with disabilities and their family members.”
Donation contributions have taken a significant decline recently, and Shalva has decided to turn to the broader public for support in order to continue providing uniquely adapted rehabilitative care to the Shalva children under lockdown.
Click here to help the children of Shalva