In less than a week, a committee of four mothers of children with Down syndrome (Eveleen, Arie, Pia (formerly from Sydney) and Rinda) pulled together an event for families and professionals in Bali.
Two short films were screened, one about Special Olympics Indonesia (SOIna - Indonesian Special Olympics) and the other about a young girl with Down syndrome in a small village in Kupang. A 'Q and A' session followed with a Minikino representative about the films. The screening was courtesy of Minikino and In-Docs Jakarta, who produced and holds rights of the films’ public screening.
Information sessions followed lunch.A young and resourceful Balinese physiotherapist, Gede Rai provided valuable information for families. The second session was on the immune system in children with Down syndrome and how it might be improved.
Around 60 adults and children (with or without Down syndrome) attended the event. Children were entertained with activities and educational toys throughout the event. We also had the pleasure of welcoming members (volunteers, educators, parents and students) of Sjakitarius, a Dutch initiative “Yayasan” (non-profit organisation) in Ubud Bali - almost 90% of their students have Down syndrome.
All in all, it was a glorious and happy day for us all in sunny Bali. We look forward to our next gathering!
POTADS (Persatuan Orang Tua Anak dendan Down Syndrome) is a Bali based Down syndrome support organisation.
from candygconnors@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteJill, this was such a beautiful blog! Passion & belief in their beautiful children brought this incredible event together. Congratulations to everyone involved. Thankyou for sharing it with us, Candy :-)
Jill, thanks again for posting this on Keeping Up with DS Blog. It means a lot to us here in Bali. We've learnt so much just from reading your website! Lots of love, Pia (P0TADS Bali).
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