Josef is 5. He only just began attending the Aram Learning Studio five months ago. The teachers had just started to make progress with Josef when Haiyan, locally known as Yolanda, hit. Typhoon Haiyan damaged the school, and now it's closed. There aren't any more schools for children with disabilities in the area, so at the moment Josef isn't getting any help. This project will get Josef the services he needs by helping us re-open the school.
Children with special needs like Josef are among the most vulnerable members of society following a disaster. Even in the best of times autistic children in the area received little or no government help. Prior to the Typhoon Vince's parents, and families like them worked together to meet their kids' needs, but Haiyan has now crippled their livelihoods. Parents are now struggling to meet kids' basic needs in the wake of the disaster, so Josef's special needs risk being overlooked.
The school has sustained structural damage, lost all of its supplies, and been inundated with mud. We'll repair the damage, replace lost supplies, and clean and repaint the building. This work will allow the school to welcome Josef and 29 other kids back into her specialist classes. A Special Educational needs trainer will help the teachers and the children cope with the extra stress that the disaster has brought.
Without the support of the school Josef and children like him in Tacloban would receive no education at all, let alone any tailored to meet their unique needs. Without an education, the future would be bleak for Josef and his classmates as their parents struggled to survive in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan. By investing in the most vulnerable of Tacloban's children, the Aram Learning Studio will change these children's futures, allowing them to become full members of the society.