At the end of 2018, SPRP received a donation of 30,000Kč from Kiwi.com to help fund weekend seminars for families with disabled children.
Donation will help families raise children with disabilities
Other than her shock of white hair, when Nelinka was born, she appeared to be a perfectly healthy baby. But as the months passed, her parents, Nikola and Lukáš, began to notice that something was wrong.
Sunlight made her cry and her eyes moved in unusual ways struggling to find focus.
At the children’s hospital in Brno, the ophthalmologist said Nelinka had been born with oculocutaneous albinism, a condition that causes nystagmus — or dancing eyes — and astigmatism, as well as a lack of pigment in the skin that meant Nelinka was hypersensitive to light.
Realising that they needed support, the family looked to Společnost pro ranou péči (SPRP), the Association for Early Intervention.
SPRP helped to adjust Nelinka’s home environment so that she was comfortable, and able to learn and play. They dampened the light inside and out, removed obstacles from the home so that she could move around more easily, and helped test toys that would support her development.
At the end of 2018, SPRP received a donation of 30,000Kč from Kiwi.com to help fund weekend seminars for families with disabled children.
Every year, ten families attend the seminars to learn how to help their child’s development most effectively. They share their experiences and discover new information, and the parents are able to have a rest and spend time together as a couple.
The seminars also show the families who attend that they are not alone and that help and support is there when they need it.
These activities give families who may feel they are struggling under a heavy burden more confidence and competence in raising a child with a disability.
Irena Jelínková, a fundraiser for SPRP, said: “We are very grateful for the kind donation from Kiwi.com.
“We have a certified method called visual stimulation and adjust this to the particular handicap and the situation of the family.
“The money will be put to good use helping families who may be struggling to raise their children with visual impairments as best as they can.
Renata Prokešová, Kiwi.com’s Facilities Director and Head of Care Crew, said: “It’s a great opportunity to support Raná péče in their activities by donating this money.
“This donation will be used for a special event for families who have children with visual impairment and multiple handicaps.
“We believe it’s important to help the families by bringing them together.”
For Nelinka, the help from SPRP has meant that the effect on her life caused by her condition has been as little as possible.
Her parents, Nikola and Lukáš, said: “Nelinka tries to understand her handicap and learn how to live with it.
“We’ve been able to teach her to wear her glasses, always cover her skin in sunscreen, and to make sure her headgear is on properly.
“But in the end, we do not teach her, she teaches us. Sometimes the visual perception is completely different even in utter little things.”
To learn more about Kiwi.com’s CSR work, visit care.kiwi.com