Towards building a better world fit for children with disabilities
UNICEF supports the Government of Uzbekistan in developing coordinated social support packages for children with disabilities and their families
For-year-old Muhammad Solih, the youngest child of four siblings, is the heart of the family. “We rebuilt our lives around his needs. Everything we do is for his comfort and future,” says Muhayyo, his mother.
She devotes her days and nights to caring for her son with Cerebral Palsy and internal health complications. The father spends most of his time supporting his son and takes small driving jobs when possible.
Although Muhammad Solih cannot walk and speak, he understands everything around him. His mornings begin with visiting a specialized kindergarten, while afternoons are filled with medical appointments and endless care.
This daily journey is not easy. The family manage to get wheelchair for Muhammad Solih with relatives’ help but accessing medical services often means long queues. Moreover, specialized therapies such as aqua therapy or adapted massage are unavailable locally.
Despite these challenges, Muhayyo remains hopeful and dreams of district centers for children like her son. “With my 17 years of experience working with children with disabilities in a specialized kindergarten for children with disabilities, I would love to contribute to a rehabilitation center. If we had centers nearby, families would save time and energy, and children like Muhammad Solih would have more opportunities for their physical and mental development,” she explains.
Her story is one of resilience, but also it shows the urgent need for coordinated social support packages. Families raising children with disabilities need more than fragmented support. Better investments in children with disabilities in the form of coordinated social support packages would improve access to medical treatment, rehabilitation, education, transport, and assistive technologies. Creating such packages would ensure that children with disabilities grow up in environments where their needs are recognized and met, and where parents feel supported rather than overwhelmed.
“I want tomorrow to be easier for other mothers than it is for me today. I want every family to know they are not alone — that there is a system ready to support them,” - Muhayyo says.
UNICEF supports the Government of Uzbekistan in developing coordinated social support packages for children with disabilities and their families. These packages build on the earlier developed study on the Cost of goods and services required for inclusion of children with disabilities in Uzbekistan. The study was done in cooperation with the Social Policy Lab under the National Agency for Social Protection and organization of parents of children with disabilities “Quyoshli Olam”. This joint effort is part of Uzbekistan’s broader transition from a medical model of disability assessment and determination system to a social model.
