"A Child's Smile" is now shining in Krasnodar. Under the joint project, UNICEF and Amway opened 2 play and 3 sensor rooms
Vera found herself in a remand home in early August 2009. The girl seemed to be very reserved and aloof; she did not trust anyone, especially adults. The girl behaved in such a manner because she had a poor relationship with her family. Several years ago, Vera’s parents got divorced, her mother remarried and gave birth to another baby. From the very beginning, her relationship with her stepfather did not shape well, giving rise to misunderstanding, recrimination and quarrels. After some time, he laid a hand on his step daughter. Having failed to find any protection from her mother, Vera ran away from her home. Being a victim of domestic violence, at some stage she herself became a law offender. Upon court order, Vera was placed in a remand home. Unfortunately, Vera’s situation is not unique. The fate of children in the remand home is similar in many respects. Children who are victims of physical violence often get involved in wrong-doing. “There is no such thing as a bad child. There are only bad adults”, Zoya Volokhova, the remand home director, said. “Before Vera was placed in the remand home, she had lived on the street for a long time and was regularly exposed to violence. We want her now to see a different side of life, to realize that there are people who wish her well, so that she herself could become a kinder person”. This is not an easy goal to achieve, as a lot of children placed in the remand home have already experienced loneliness and confronted misapprehension and violence. Most of these adolescents are extremely vulnerable, and they try to cut themselves off from the outside world, erecting a wall of cynicism, mistrust and aggression. It is only regular sessions with a psychologist that can bring down such a wall. With this in mind, UNICEF and Amway, under their joint charitable project “A Child’s Smile”, have set up a specially equipped room for psychological stress release, or a sensor room as it is sometimes called, at the Krasnodar Remand Home. Thick curtains on the windows create a cozy, semi-dark environment, while artificial fire, the noise of water, a starlit sky and other light and sound effects evoke a feeling of mystery and make you feel safe and secure. A soft carpet and comfortable armchairs are conducive to a relaxed and easy-going conversation. There is space in the room designed both for individual and group sessions. “Such kind of equipment is essential for our activities”, Tatiana Sakharova, a psychologist working at the remand home, said. “Sessions held in a regular room are inefficient, because a regular room is not different from any other room, while a sensor room allows children to relax and facilitates communication. Nothing in such a room reminds them of their current location at a custodial-type institution. Special equipment facilitates the use of new approaches and methodology on dealing with children in difficult circumstances. I am sure that now, our work with Vera and other adolescents will be much more efficient”.
The joint project “A Child’s Smile” is scheduled for three years. During this period, play rooms and sensor rooms are scheduled to be established in hospitals, polyclinics, boarding schools and rehabilitation centers throughout Russia. Besides the Krasnodar Remand Home, another four sensor rooms have been launched under this project at Krasnodar medical facilities. Thousands of young city residents will gain access to such rooms in the coming years. Vladimir Yevlanov, Mayor of the City of Krasnodar, cut a symbolic red ribbon during the opening ceremony of sensor rooms at children’s polyclinic No.9 and the municipal emergency hospital. “I would like to thank all the adults who assisted in setting up such wonderful rooms. Children like to be here; they smile, which means that we, adults, also feel fine”, the mayor said. It is worth noting that less than a year ago, the City of Krasnodar joined the UNICEF Global Initiative “Child Friendly Cities”, under which a city is to commit itself to implement, to the maximum extent possible, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. In the capital city of the Krasnodar territory, a lot of work has been done to make young city residents feel comfortable in the urban environment. The opening of 2 playrooms and 3 sensor rooms with the support of City Administration will enable Krasnodar to become more friendly and comfortable for all its residents.
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