MoldovaPosted by Egil Ruud, lege, styremedlem i Ahead Wed, April 21, 2010 13:57:13I looked very much forward to, for the eight time, to visit Chisinau and Voinicel. My agenda here is to be a medical consultant,to discuss complicated cases and,so far I can, give information to parents.
Mariana and Egil are discussing a case
My background is that I am a pediatrician, having worked in the area of child neurology and psychoneurology. As I can't speak nor understand moldovian or russian language, I have to be interpreted all the time. This is functioning very well as the interpreters are doctors or having paramedical or medical professions. I meet many parents having children with rare and not so rare diagnosis. What struck me again and again for all the years I have been here, is that nearly all the children (with different diagnosis) are overmedicated, very often with the same medicaments. It is often very expensive drugs and mostly of no use.
This time I joined a part of the Voincel team to Comrat, 120 km. from Chisinau. This is a russian speaking area. Although I did not understand a word, I perceived a very good quality of their lectures, looking at the acting, using of voice and gestures and the engagement.The audience looked very concentrated. Some had good questions.
Due to volcano ashes my primary flight and seccond flight were cancelled.I hope for tomorrow, five days delayed, to return succesfully from another meaningful visit to Voincel.
MoldovaPosted by Marina Calac, pediatrician, Voinicel team Mon, March 22, 2010 13:14:30The 12th week in Voinicel was full of events.
First of all: we had nice gests, to be more concrete- they were two ladies Lena Lobakk from Norway-member of WCDN and her sister from Germany- Lotta von Heyer the physical therapist. Our team has benefit the short course in Bobath therapy and PNF method and some master classes in physical therapy which were kindly offered by Lotta.
Lotta has brought some materials for hand orthoses, but because of strict local bureaucratic rules the materials are at airport custom still. Ivan has to get some important papers from different Ministries and we will get this valuable cargo, the next week may be
.
Tatiana and Leo have gotten their glasses from Hans Bjorn.
Four more Voinicel clients have been examined for vision by Hans Bjorn team.
On Thursday all team (Lena and Lotta also) went to the rural center for children with special needs in Costesti. Children from this centre were consulted by our team members and their parents and specialists have got some recommendation in order to improve the rehabilitation goals.
And the latest news: our neurologist Marianna has finished and successfully completed the course in Pediatric Neurology and Metabolism in Salzburg and came back to Voinicel, but that's another story.
MoldovaPosted by Ivan Puiu, director, Voinicel Team Tue, March 02, 2010 14:02:27
Friday, 26 February, I was invited in the Municipality of Chisinau for a lecture on “Early Childhood Intervention for children with disabilities”.
The Municipal Department of Children′ s rights is supporting the initiative of creation a Centre of Early Intervention as a constituent element of Family Physician Center and, in this context, “Voinicel” team is invited to teach a new team in the field. We are very glad with this idea, because the number of children 0 to 3 years old, from Chisinau, children who need Early Intervention services, is much bigger that the capacity of “Voinicel” Center.
Additionally, this kind of Center can serve as a prototype of regional ECI centre for other regions of Moldova in creation the network of Early Intervention services in entire country in the future.
NorgePosted by Ludmila Pancratov, pediatrician, kinetotherapist, Voinicel Team Fri, February 19, 2010 14:26:06Today in the Centre "Voinicel" Angelina, a 5 years old girl, was consulted by neurologist, case manager and physical therapist. She has got a standtable, received from Norway some time ago.
We hope it will be very usefull for her and will improve Angelina's life. Her parents appreciated that very much and were very happy. Many thanks from Angelina!
MoldovaPosted by Ivan Puiu, director, Voinicel Team Fri, February 19, 2010 13:41:57
15-18 of February I have enjoying 3 days of Congress in Pediatrics in Moscow, a very nice organized congress and with very good and up to date information.
MoldovaPosted by Ivan Puiu, director, Voinicel Team Fri, February 19, 2010 13:24:08
Today, 19th of February, Voinicel center was honored by Representatives from Open Society Institute Mental Health Initiatives, Budapest and Soros Foundation - Moldova.
Raluca Bunea, projects coordinator from OSI MHI confirmed the intention of supporting “Voinicel” activities of Early Childhood Intervention for next year and also mentioned an eventual possibility of developing new project in Early intervention Promotion trough implication of “Voinicel” team in collaboration with UNICEF Moldova and Social Investment Fund Moldova.
MoldovaPosted by Ala Cojocaru, executive director, Voinicel Team Thu, February 11, 2010 11:46:24The worldwide survey of clinical experts is being performed to identify all relevant areas of functioning for children and youth with CP. Over 350 volunteer experts from all six WHO regions of the globe are being sought.
Two professionals from Voinicel Team (Me and Marina) also were selected as the experts for this research regarding the World Health Organization (WHO)’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) as it relates to children and youth with motor impairments, specifically cerebral palsy (CP). The survey started this week and we worked on the elaboration of “ICF core sets” for children and youth with CP on special WHO link.
MoldovaPosted by Silvia Breabin, psychologist, Voinicel team Thu, February 11, 2010 11:07:50During last two years Voinicel team is in strong collaboration with Municipal Department of Education, one of the main activities of this Department is the promotion of inclusive education in children with special needs.
Lots of trainings with staff in many regular kindergartens were performed through the joint efforts of Voinicel team and this Department.
The greatest result of this friendship is the fact , that 18 children with special need – in past clients of Voinicel Center – are included in general kindergartens.
Yesterday the staff of the kindergarten N40 from Chisinau have got e latest news from Voincel team.
NorgePosted by Ane Lillian Tveit, ergoterapeut, prosjektutvikler i Ahead Wed, February 10, 2010 02:53:09I talked to Margaret Skjelbred on the phone tonight. She have collected thousands of krones for Ahead since 2004. When she sells her books on tour she lets a large percentage go to our work with disabled children in Moldova.
She is now asking for even more information about our work to give to her audience.
Margaret is a well respected author in Norway. See her books and awards at
http://www.tiden.no/index.php?ID=Forfatter&counter=107
MoldovaPosted by Ivan Puiu, director, Voinicel Team Tue, February 09, 2010 13:27:58
In my opinion, actual period it’s a decisional step for the future of Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) in Moldova. Nowadays, “Voinicel” Center is a Centre of Reference in Early intervention, with hundreds of beneficiaries children with developmental disorders and their parents, with practical research done in this field (I mean our dissertation “Elaboration of the Model of Early intervention service for children with disabilities in Moldova” – www.cnaa.md/en/thesis/8655/), with good experience in the field, with a nice and very professional team. Additionally, during last 5-6 years, we have done a lot of efforts for convincing Moldavian Ministry of Health, Ministry of Trade, Family and Social Protection, UNICEF, Mental Health Initiative Open Society Institute, Soros Foundation and other institutions in the need of ECI; there is also an impact on other institutions, like Medical University and Medical Colleges from Moldova, where we facilitated the implementation of a new Curriculum, containing topics on “Child with disabilities” and “Early Childhood Intervention” – in general, we are participating very active in creation of the positive attitudes in our society for implementation of early intervention services network in all the country.
More and more people understand now the need of changes in the approach on disabled people, more and more institutions are accepting the idea of collective efforts need in building the Network of ECI, supported by the State.
Now, I have a strong feeling that we need just 1 or 2 year more, a period of big collective efforts, for achieving something very important on the level of entire country in this domain, for enjoying first extensive results in Early Intervention in many regions of Moldova.
In this context, Voinicel team are very thankfull to all Norwegian people and Norwegian institutions for all kind of support in achieving this goal.
MoldovaPosted by Ecaterina Bufteac, physical therapist Tue, February 09, 2010 13:10:38Started with October 2008, when all the Voinicel team did benefit of cources in hand splinting led by Margareta Persson (http://www.artronova.se/eng/all.htm), our center is preparing hand splints for the Voinicel Center beneficiaries and for other children. Thankfull to this abilities (and we are the only ones in Moldova who are prepring splint) lots of children did avoid the surgical operations on their hands and also, different centers and state hospitals (institutions) are asking us to make splits for their beneficiaries.
Last week 2 children from the hospital, Center of Mother and Child, were referred to Voinicel center. On the picture you can see a 7 years old boy who needed urgent splints that we made for him. 
The Baby House for abbandoned children from Chisinau have also 4 children (that were consulted by our specialists) who need splints. Despite of the fact that we are limitted in materials for splinting, for these 4 children we will prepare the necessary night splints.
NorgePosted by Ane Lillian Tveit, ergoterapeut, prosjektutvikler i Ahead Tue, February 09, 2010 04:39:18
This evening the president of Lions Åsane, Knut Gundersen called me to tell that they decided to give Ahead another 15 000 kr. Two months ago they gave us 25 000 kr which makes 40 000 kr all together in a few months.
Marianne and myself visited Lions in Åsane some weeks ago and the president said they now understand the importance of the work we do in Moldova.
For artikkel i Åsane Tidende, se pdf:
MoldovaPosted by Ala Cojocaru, executive director, Voinicel Team Mon, February 08, 2010 13:06:06On Friday we had a meeting with parents. Nearly 12 relatives of children with DS shared their experience with each other and with professionals and found answers for their questions. This is extremely important and useful especially for new parents, that can’t cope with psychological problems and need advice in daily issues.
Meanwhile, children had the opportunity to get to know each other and become friends!
NorgePosted by Egil Ruud, lege, styremedlem i Ahead Thu, February 04, 2010 18:56:57"Quit or Dobbel" is an old program in Norwegian TV. Now this program is running once again. Last Friday a young man with an obviously Asperger started on his track, earning his first money - giving the possibility to earn almost 200000 lei (96000NK) if he succed to answer the questions in the next steps. His subject is "trains in Norway" - very typical for the boys with this syndrome.
So - sometimes you can draw a favour having AS. For the parents of these boys in Moldova also to know?!
