Improving the quality of life for Russian children with Down syndrome Express News Downside Up May 2010

Downside Up Blog

Dear Friends, Please take 10 minutes to read our May news. And if any of them grips your attention for a longer time, then what you read must be important for you. For us it means that we are not sending out the news in vain. All your questions, comments, advice or any interesting materials will be highly appreciated. Please write in our blog (on Russian) or to Irina Menshenina irinam@downsideup.org. In this issue: Vorobievy Gory, 29th May: Run and Have Fun! No-fuss Donations: Easy for You, Great Aid for Children 2009 Annual Report Published Cycling trips again! Go! Freedom of Thought on Channel 5

Vorobievy Gory, 29th May: Run and Have Fun!

1, 3 and 5 km races will be open for all: athletes, nature walk fans, or fancy dress lovers (see photos from a London marathon ). We invite all those who want to have a good time and are ready to make a donation (300-500 rubles) in aid of children with Down syndrome. Participation is free for children under fourteen. Read more on our website

No-fuss Donations: Easy for You, Great Aid for Children

With a computer and credit card close at hand, things are easy now - no need to stand in a queue in Sberbank, no fuss about cash…. Voila! Dear friends, a new online donations system began operating on our website in April 2010. With the new system in place, all our current or potential donors can make a donation without leaving home. If you are a holder of Visa/MasterCard credit or debit card, all you need to do is click here (our online donation page), and fill in your details and the donation sum. The money will be transferred to Downside Up and will go for Downside Up Early Intervention Centre programmes for children with Down syndrome. You do not use a credit card for donating? Please follow this link to choose an other donating option. THANK YOU WITH ALL OUR HEARTS!

2009 Annual Report Published

How does one measure the effect of a social project? Many people are seeking an answer to this question. One thing is clear: the major yardstick should be positive changes in the lives of real people. In case of the families raising children with Down syndrome, such changes do not happen quickly. Their life changes for the better as a result of everyday routine painstaking work of the parents and specialists. A person unversed in the specifics of such work will only be able to appreciate these changes years later. We have endeavored to tell you on the 14 pages of the Annual Report 2009 about some most important aspects of our work in 2009. The biggest triumph of the year is the availability of preschool placements for children with Down syndrome! And the hero of 2009 is Downside Up graduate Yegor Stepanov. Find out more at our Annual report page (.pdf).

Cycling trips again! Go!

Dear friend, Qn 22nd May we are opening the 2010 cycling season. Join our one-day cycling tours of Moscow region scenic areas in the company of Downside Up friends who believe in the importance of our mission. Spend a great day in the countryside, enjoy pleasing views, race, have a good time, and build up team spirit. The cycling trips are also a perfect way of training for the 2010 Red Square Bike Ride scheduled for 20-22 August. To sign up for the cycling trips on 22nd May and 06 June please call Alexey Lilinberg at +7 (926) 669-5166, or write to alexey@downsideup.org. Find out more

Freedom of Thought on Channel 5

“It is time to stop discrimination against children with Down syndrome, there should be shared learning environment for children with special needs and their ordinarily developing peers”, believes the programme’s main spokesman Eugeny Bounimovich, Commissioner for children’s rights in Moscow. “Children with Down syndrome are unable to cope with school programme, they will make the other children in the integrated class fall behind”, argue teachers, journalists and parents of “ordinary” children. The action field for this battle of ideas is the programme Freedom of Thought. Follow the link to watch the programme on 5th May on Channel 5 (on Russian).