When Petro first crossed the threshold of the Adaptation Centre for Adolescents with Disabilities 12+, his world was quiet and withdrawn. Silent and reserved, at the beginning of his journey the boy steered clear of noisy groups and communication, seeking solitude in the farthest corners of the room where he felt safe from the outside world.
Yet Petro possesses a truly remarkable talent: he can assemble complex puzzles of over 1,000 pieces without any instructions or reference pictures. Previously, however, even this passion seemed like a way to hide inside his own sheltered world.
Yet an environment defined by genuine acceptance and care can work wonders. Step by step, at his own pace, he began to change.
Today, Petro is simply unrecognisable. He has not only stopped hiding away and started actively socialising with his peers, but he has also formed a warm bond with Olechka. His horizons have expanded rapidly: he now eagerly explores all sorts of additional materials, discovering new interests far beyond his familiar puzzles. This incredible transformation has shown just how much potential lies within him when there is a space where people believe in him.
This vital step forward has been made possible through the participation of the NGO “Inclusion Without Limits” in the small grants programme under the project “Social Protection for Inclusion, Resilience, Innovation and Transformation (SPIRIT)”. The project is implemented with the support of the UK Government in partnership with the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, the Social Protection Fund for Persons with Disabilities, and UNICEF Ukraine, and is administered by ISAR Ednannia.
