233.8 Hours of Independence

Our supported living program is home to wonderful Sveta and Dima, people with mental disabilities. They work in workshops — sew, embroider, draw, and work in an environmental workshop. Their lives are full of creativity and activity — they attend concerts, museums, visit friends, and participate in summer camps and trips. Sveta and Dima make all the important decisions about their lives themselves, starting with what to do, and ending with where to do an internship and what job to take. For example, Sveta went on an internship at the Ogurtsy cafe in St. Petersburg, and Dima worked in a sewing factory. None of this would have been possible without the supported living program and the social workers who, step by step, together with Sveta, Dima, and other wards, went through all the stages of life that are familiar to us — from preparing food for lunch to planning the day. We would be grateful if you support our collection so that we can continue to pay for the work of our specialists and give our wards the opportunity to do what they love and develop!