|
Netherlands envoy donates
educational toys to AEICSN
By Kaushalendra S Singh
MUSCAT — It was like a shot
in arm for Association of Early Intervention for Child with Special Needs (AEICSN)
when Stefan Van Werch, Ambassador of the Netherlands to the Sultanate, and
his wife Liliane Fawzi visited the Association’s Athaiba centre early
yesterday and donated a large set of new toys and tools. The Association
serves children from birth to 6 years of age, who are at risk or disabled,
with a comprehensive early intervention programme that covers social,
medical, physical, academic and therapeutic services; with the objective of
having the children enrol in regular schools or minimise their disabilities
to ensure a better quality of life for them and their families.
The Embassy of Netherlands in the Sultanate has always been supportive to
the Association and associated with it since its inception. The embassy
recently made contributions for purchasing specialised educational toys for
the academic session 2009-2010. Addressing a small gathering of Association
staff and parents on the occasion Stefan Van said: “It is great to see that
in Oman more and more private initiatives are taken to provide education to
children with special needs. My wife and I have deep respect for those who
work in this field.”
He appreciated the Association’s role and said: “A society is as strong its
willingness to help those with special needs. We are just glad that we could
make a little difference. Good toys are pivotal for the development of
children, but it is not just about this one event. The education of these
children needs constant attention. There are major challenges to be
confronted. We really hope that in a not too distant future all children
with special needs will get the education they deserve.”
Earlier the Association’s director took the Ambassador and his wife for a
round of the centre and apprised them of the activities and recent value
addition to the institution. He also thanked the Embassy of Netherlands in
Oman for its gesture towards building of a civil society. The Association
was formed on March 22, 2000 and officially chartered by the ministerial
order (144/2000) issued on May 20, 2000 in Muscat. It also undertakes an
educational and advocacy role to improve societal awareness of people with
special needs.
The vision and aims of the Association are very clear. It works to provide
the children with special needs with every possible opportunity to enjoy
their rights, fully integrate in society as individuals, benefit from the
services provided by the Association and community at large to live a
dignified life. |
