For young burn survivors or children with
facial disfigurement, part of returning to a normal life means going
back to school, among their peers, and pursuing their academic goals.
However, school re-entry can sometimes be a difficult process not
just for the child who might fear being treated differently by his
peers, but also for the school, with teachers and classmates unaware
of the best way to interact with someone who has a form of facial
disfigurement. Sunshine Foundation has developed a model to work
with the child, the family and the school to facilitate school re-entry
process.
School adjustment and social acceptance
counseling
In order to facilitate the return to school of children with facial
disfigurement, the Foundation works with the child to prepare him
or her for life in the classroom, and also organizes (upon the request
of the child and parents or school) activities in the school to
raise awareness towards burn prevention and acceptance towards people
with facial disfigurement. Social educators have devised activities
and games to help schoolchildren understand and experience the physical
and emotional difficulties their classmate encounters. The goal
is to reduce misunderstandings, avoid prejudices and facilitate
integration of the child.
Scholarships
Children with facial disfigurement or those who survived burns have
to go through many operations and physical therapy sessions throughout
their lives, sometimes spending their winter or summer vacations in
hospital. In addition, they will face greater difficulties in terms
of social interaction with their peers. School will be an experience
fraught with challenges, hence, it is important to reward and encourage
students who do well. In 1983, the Foundation set up a scholarship
fund to encourage burn survivors or people with facial disfigurement
to pursue their schooling and help build their self-confidence.
The scholarships are awarded every year to outstanding students
during award ceremonies held in four regions across Taiwan. The
goals of the project are:
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