Help us to support the siblings of children with special needs |
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For more than 100 years, Villa Maria has been able to make a difference to the lives of thousands of people with special needs and their families through the generous support of our donors. There are some programs that we run at Villa Maria that receive no funding from government, such as the the Siblings Program. We believe these programs make a big difference to people’s lives and therefore we look for ways to resource them. Yet this is becoming increasingly difficult in the face of inadequate government funding for our existing services and the compounding impact of the global economic crisis on our investment income.
Resourcing important yet unfunded programs is becoming a significant challenge for Villa Maria and will only continue to be possible through ongoing community support.
Villa Maria’s Early Childhood Intervention Service (ECIS) provides a range of educational, therapeutic and community services for young children (0-6 years) with additional needs and their families.
One of the programs that our family-centred Early Childhood Intervention Service provides is a Siblings Program for the brothers and sisters of children with special needs. The aim is to build the children’s self esteem and provide an avenue for them to meet and discuss relevant issues with other children who share their situation.
These children often play a role as secondary carers, assisting their parents in the day-to-day routines of their sibling. In many cases, this is a caring role they are involved in from a very young age.
They can feel isolated both at home, where they are unable to interact with their sibling in the ‘usual’ way, and at school where it is difficult to discuss their siblings with peers due to a lack of understanding or because they fear being teased.
“I learnt that I am not the only one with a life like mine – some share the same feelings and relate to the situations I have been in.” – Young person in the Siblings Program
“My son finds it very comforting that other children live with similar issues with siblings. As a parent, I would like to take the opportunity to thank Villa Maria for providing a very necessary service to families of special kids.”
Anne Muir, Manager Villa Maria ECIS, says: “We started this program five years ago with 13 children and now have 43 children. The demand just keeps increasing for this unfunded service each year. Originally the program catered for the siblings of children attending Villa Maria’s ECIS and St Paul’s Specialist Education programs, but it now provides a service for children throughout the Eastern region.”
To keep this important service going, we urgently need your support.
Siblings, even at an early age, worry about the future of their brother or sister with an additional need. Although we cannot ease all their concerns and worries, we provide support and information which will enable them to voice their concerns in a safe and caring manner.
“He talks freely about his brother’s disability to his other school friends. He is not ashamed – he actually tries to educate them.”
“She is showing a real maturity about her brother and his disability. I find it particularly noticeable when I hear her talking about her brother to other people.”
The groups cater for children in specific age groups (5-7 years, 8-10 years and 11-plus years) to ensure that discussions are relevant to the children’s ages and to give them the opportunity to connect with their peers.
Our Siblings Program urgently needs your support so we can meet the needs of these children and young people now and into the future.
You can make a tremendous difference to the lives of these children and their families. With your donation we can assist these young people to find the support they need to meet the unique challenges they face. This in turn will help the whole family to work together to create positive relationships.
Yours sincerely
Valerie J. Lyons
Chief Executive Officer
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