October 29, 2015

Helping Children Live Without Limits in Uzbekistan

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Tatyana (center) conducting an artistic enrichment activity in Uzbekistan Tatyana (center) conducting an artistic enrichment activity in Uzbekistan
Tatyana Chabrova knows that the purpose of an exchange program is not just to travel to the United States, but to give back to one’s community after the exchange. Tatyana’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) on Gender and Women’s Issues in 2006 was instrumental to her professional and personal growth. Reflecting on her IVLP, Tatyana said, “the theoretical and practical knowledge I have gained during my exchange program helped to enrich myself as an academician and practitioner.”
 
Tatyana used what she learned during her IVLP to conduct trainings and publish books for parents of children with disabilities. During a visit to the Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential in Pennsylvania, she learned about a teaching method to work with parents of children with special needs. She not only used that methodology to design and implement a special training project, but it also served as the basis for her Ph.D. in Pedagogic Sciences in 2008. 
 
Tatyana currently works as a trainer at the Republican Center for Social Adaptation of Children in Tashkent. Since 2014, the Center has published 30 books in Uzbek, Russian and English that were written and illustrated by children with special needs. Tatyana works tirelessly to make the lives of children with disabilities more meaningful and the local community a better and more inclusive place to live.  
 
In addition to working with orphans, Tatyana organizes trainings for young mothers, housewives, women educators, and speech therapists working in foster homes in Tashkent. In 2015 alone, she trained 75 women trainers. She currently leads a pilot project sponsored by the Republican Center for Social Adaptation of Children, Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, and the “Limitless Opportunities” organization, which focuses on training orphans with disabilities to adapt to society and providing them with psychological therapy. Tatyana stays active with other exchange alumni in her community by conducting art therapy classes for alumni and their families. She also continues to participate in international conferences and share her knowledge throughout the region.