Dzherelo Delivers Hope

By Victoria Barsuk

On Sunday January 29, a meeting with Zenia Kuspheta, founder and board member of of the Children’s Rehabilitation Centre Dzherelo took place in the Plast-Ukrainian Youth Organization building in Toronto.

Guests had a chance to learn about recent developments at the Dzherelo rehabilitation centre for children with disabilities, founded in 1993 in Lviv. One of Dzherelo’s Canadian sponsors is the Children of Chornobyl Canadian Fund, which has made a tremendous impact on the project’s development.

Dzherelo’s main goal is to help disabled kids in Ukraine feel like accepted citizens and members of society. To achieve this, the centre’s staff teach the children everything from logical thinking to reading. As the children progress, many are able to advance to a public school. This process requires considerable funds that the government budget does not cover. As a result, the centre has up to now existed through donations of sponsors from around the world.

After the Orange Revolution, Dzherelo has finally had a chance to start collaborating with the new government. But until the government fully covers the costs of the rehabilitation centre, Dzherelo’s future will continue to depend on sponsors' donations.

For the past 13 years, Dzherelo has helped many special-needs children receive a secondary school education and in some cases proceed to university. This provides hope for all special-needs children in Ukraine. Dzherelo’s motto: “We are all angels with one wing, and in order to fly, we have to join together.”

After Zenia’s inspiring speech, the audience watched a documentary film showing the dedication of Dzherelo’s staff and the joyful smiles of the children. Without Dzherelo these kids would be limited to staying at home, never fully experiencing the joys of life. If rehabilitation centres like this one existed in all Ukrainian cities, more children with special needs would have a chance to learn the skills needed to make their way through life. Thanks to people like Zenia Kushpeta we can expect continued changes for the better in the future.