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Melvin Jones
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In May 1995, under the leadership of Jorge Saavedra Nunez and Eliana Palma of Saavedra, the medical-educational center Melvin Jones was officially created in the city of La Libertad, located in the province of Santa Elena, in southwest of Ecuador.
The perception of disability was very negative at this time; any child with a physical or mental handicap endured a heavy moral and social stigma that accompanied such a situation. The child’s family often suffered the effects of this vicious circle and the child found himself isolated and without access to care or quality education.
Aware that this perception of disability is linked to a misunderstanding of the latter, those involved in the center Melvin Jones have decided to take action to raise public awareness and bring together as many players around their project. (parents, faculty members, politicians, local civil society etc...).
To achieve the goal, the center has implemented outreach meetings involving people directly or indirectly affected by disability, in order to have a clear view of activities to implement.
Following these meetings, the center Melvin Jones has decided to support families with disabled children, with community care and a series of projects aimed at integrating the child in society .
Melvin Jones provides the children of these families, usually low-income, with school quality monitoring as well as appropriate vocational training facilitating their integration into the labor market.
In parallel to this substantive work, the organization’s founders, management and professionals deliver daily awareness-raising sessions at various civil society bodies, in order to increase consideration and insertion of people with disabilities within the society.
Numerous actions implemented in terms of education, vocational training and care, have improved the welfare recipients and have helped them gain autonomy.
Welcomes people with disabilities, generally from low-income families and offer them the opportunity to follow a tailored academic course, receive therapeutic care and professional education.
News
Melvin Jones takes part in the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPWD)
December, Monday 3 2012
Dignity, respect and decency were just some of the demands emblazoned on placards in a procession that kicked off this IDPWD. The fourteen associations and their beneficiaries marched through the streets of Santa Elena, accompanied by the Eugenio Espejo high school music group who came to lend their support.
After the parade, all the attendees gathered around the big central stage in the Parc Rocafuerte, which was given over to a series of different artistic performances throughout the morning. So it was that five young girls with hearing disabilities, all pupils at the Melvin Jones school, presented their choreography set to tropical, infectious music... and yet most of them couldn't hear even a note of it. The illusion was perfect, the girls' steps in rhythm. And the applause, fed by the 150-strong audience, showed that the public fully grasped the reality of the performance.
At the side of the stage there were also stands where the associations highlighted another of their pupils' capabilities: manual creations. Melvin Jones exhibited a range of artistic objects, such as decorative boxes made of papier mâché, and confectionery, also the handiwork of the association's beneficiaries.
The final word was spoken through the mic by a young girl suffering from impaired mobility: "We can create and produce things too, and we deserve proper attention from society!" And if this reminder was needed before, there's now no doubt that she's right.
Personal development workshop for mothers of physically handicapped children
October, Monday 22 2012The reason for the creation of this workshop is the health situation of children affected by cerebral palsy and other associated disabilities.
The workshop was conducted with a group of ten mothers, and focused on improving their self-esteem. To do so, we practiced relaxation techniques and devoted time to listening to our feelings and emotions, reflecting on how our lives have been with our children, and the impact on our families.
The group of mothers, who attend the centre for physical therapies and stimulation, face many obstacles in their daily lives, amongst them the health of their children, the lack of support for their families, inadequate medical attention and difficulties in relating to their surroundings. All this amounts to a heavy burden resting on these women.
During the workshop, the women expressed the love which drives them to carry on for their children, this immense love which comes from a superior source to which the women turn day after day: from God, who gives them strength to keep on fighting for the progress of their children. The workshop also provided an opportunity for women to exchange experiences with other mothers, who have older children, and to discover that they share the same values, such as hope, patience, tolerance, responsibility, joy and above all, love.
The participants made posters displaying these values to share with their families. Now, they take part in the therapies and have become more willing and expressive, with the promise to return in the future for another workshop.
Productive labor of mothers
October, Thursday 18 2012
Each afternoon from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM the mothers of the boys and girls with moderate disabilities who are educated in the Melvin Jones Holistic Education Center and who do not go back home for various reasons (economic, distance-related, or medical because of high-risk illnesses affecting them) join together to develop some skills. This allows them to make coats, blouses, shoes, ponchos, purses, wallets, key rings, swimming trunks, baby clothes, etc., using different knitting techniques.
This activity, encouraged since 2008 by the Melvin Jones Center, allows the mothers to use the time spent in the organization to do something productive. This activity makes them produce items that generate an income. It also allows the family mothers to exchange their experiences and knowledge in an atmosphere of fun. In this way, they’ve been raising their self-confidence and improving their personal development.
This shared space helps them to handle their children’s situation with optimism and to find support as a family who lives the same experience every day.
Baking class for students with hearing impairments
October, Wenesday 10 2012
Accounting for the need to develop students’ skills, coupled with the success that this course has had with a group of male students, the Melvin Jones Centre decided to set up a workshop for the female beneficiaries. Last year, we developed a workshop for males in which they developed their abilities and were able to make bread and sweets.
This year, the Melvin Jones Centre wanted the girls and young women to learn something productive and new. Creating desserts and sweets, the girls learned to participate in a fun activity, which, at the same time, offers them professional development that can generate income for them. At the moment, they have acquired skills such as weighing, measuring, and preparing simple recipes such as oatmeal cookies, other varieties of cookies such as bizcotelas (iced sponge cake) and biscuits, strawberry cheesecake, chocolate fudge cake, etc.
The students willingly participate in this activity with enthusiasm because they really enjoy it.
How you can help
Project and fundraising manager
Besoins humainsSpecialist in Spanish sign language (Training)
Besoins humainsOverview
Melvin Jones center is located in La Libertad to the west of the province of Santa Elena. La Libertad is a city in southwestern Ecuador, capital of La Libertad district, located 110 kilometers from Guayaquil, which is the economic capital of the country.
At the head of a district of 95 942 inhabitants (according to the census conducted in 2010 by the national institute of statistics and censuses) La Libertad is the economic capital of the region due to employments generated by the fishing and oil industries.
Aware of the fact that many families were in a vulnerable situation with disabled children, Jorge Saavedra Nunez, then president of « Club de Leones Salinas Central » made an act to establish a support center for them. When the act was accepted, contacts were established with the department of the ministry of education of the province of Guayas in order to sensitize the staff of the institution and the disability issues in the region.
Steps have then been undertaken in the province of Santa Elena in order to cense again the number of children with disabilities and to quantify this phenomenon that had never been measured.
This census also aimed to identify the potential of a structure that could accommodate future beneficiaries of the center, bring up disability awareness to the population and attract the attention of parents on the importance of supporting quality education for their children.
In 1994, the census confirmed the urgent need to establish a reception center; it was decided to establish a formal education, despite the limited economic resources of families.
Recognizing the importance of uniting as many players around their project, the center set up outreach meetings involving people directly or indirectly affected by disabilities in order to have a clear view of activities to implement.
On May 8, 1995, the Melvin Jones center officially became a nonprofit institution under the law of Ecuador, under the Ministry of Education. This recognition as a legally incorporated structure will allow it to start its activities and welcome children, which was not previously possible for legal reasons.
A project originally set up at the home of one of the members of the« Club de Leones Salinas Central » in preparation for supporting children with hearing loss problems.
Very quickly, support workshops designed for children with developmental handicaps or palsy were established. In 2000, local authorities decided that the « Club de Leones Salinas Central » was too small and overwhelmed, thus, the association soon considered a proposal to build a more spacious and ergonomic construction project that could welcome a larger number of children.
Led by Jorge Saavedra Nunez and Eliana Palma de Saavedra, the municipality of La Libertad (who donated the land) and with the financial support of the German association Guayas Ecuador Hilfe, this construction project was made possible. The center, which opened on July 20, 2002, still stands today and offers children academic coaching, therapy sessions, therapy sessions, and workshops accompanying young adults in the workplace.
Once with 28 children that received services in 1995, Melvin Jones is now home to 177 children daily, to which are added the more occasional visits. The center asks parents for a contribution so that they can be involved in the education process that was developed for their children.
Featuring today a structure adapted to the needs of its beneficiaries, the center has always aimed to improve its services vis-à-vis the children it welcomes, but also to transfer its methodology to civil society and notably national education professors through regular training sessions.
Barrio 28 de Mayo, Av 16, entre calles 13 y 14, La Libertad, Santa Elena, Ecuador
La LibertadCentral office: +593 (0)4 27 82 744
Juanita Chumo de Tamayo, Director: + 593 (0)4 27 84 290 / + 593 (0)8 87 25 197
Eliana de Palma, President: + 593 (0)4 27 83 969 / + 593 (0)9 34 50 236
Carmen Olives, Secretary: + 593 (0)4 27 74 117 / + 593 (0)9 41 70 925
melvinjones95@hotmail.com (administrative contact)
juanitachumogilces@hotmail.com (director of the center contact)
carmeno705@hotmail.com (secretary contact)
katyneira@hotmail.es (assistant secretary contact)
Facebook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001288150398
The founding members of the center in 1995 are still present today within the structure. Their respective roles have not changed much, even though currently they can count on their very competent staff, which allows the center to function well. The team is committed and united behind the goals set by the center. It is open to any external support that could enable it to develop new activities.
Contribute to the welfare and independence of people with disabilities
OS1. Promote access to education for children with disabilities.
OS2. Improve the quality of life and health status of children with disabilities.
OS3. The empowerment of people with disabilities.
OS4. Facilitate the professional integration of youth and young adult beneficiaries from the center
OS5. Educate peers of children with disabilities to the importance of proper management of disability.
1. Care center for children with disabilities. The objective of the association is to provide children with therapeutic care adapted to their situation. This project involves a technical team with diverse skills to provide the most complete monitoring and an additional child welfare center. The Melvin Jones center develops activities organized around the needs of the child and his/her family circle to make a better life in the long run to its beneficiaries. Melvin Jones seeks primarily to facilitate the integration of children with disabilities and reduce the social disadvantages they may face. This project is based on the assumption that children with disabilities can attend the same social integration as "valid" children. The objective of this project is to ensure that children with disabilities and their families become actors of his change and to integrate him into the community.
2. Support for beneficiaries to the professional world. Melvin Jones considers that the acceptance of difference is not natural in our society and it is important to do some work to raise awareness among civil society actors on the phenomenon of disability and its implications. Besides raising awareness, the center sets up a series of professional training to ensure that recipients are fully integrated into society and that they can develop. The center tries to instil in all its educators, teachers, therapists, staff and parents of students that it is very important to accompany the child throughout his professional integration. This process consists of three phases: orientation, training and integration. Each phase is considered as an element necessary for the preparation of the recipient to the next phase.
3. Access to autonomy for disabled children. The association organizes various workshops to facilitate integration and access to the autonomy of adolescents and young adults. These workshops address aspects of everyday life through simple but routine tasks (culinary workshop, home maintenance, support for completing classes...). Assuming that many external factors are influencing the degree of autonomy of the person with disability, whether or not motorized, professionals structure their utmost to stimulate each child by confronting him or her to regular daily life situations.
4. Awareness workshops destined for civil society. The center set up awareness workshops for teachers in the province of Santa Elena so that they can integrate children with disabilities into their classrooms. Parents of disabled children also benefit from training sessions; along with the technical team, they construct appropriate programs and a personalized plan of education specific to each child. The association wishes to raise awareness in society as a whole, through awareness and support workshops so that the phenomenon of disability becomes more acceptable and considered.
1. Related activities OS1. Promote access to education for children with disabilities.
- Realization of courses adapted to handicaps of each child attending the center.
- Creation of courses for students with hearing impairments or dumb.
- Computer Training and Multimedia
2. Related activities OS2. Improve the quality of life and health status of children with disabilities.
- Physiotherapy sessions which aim to assess, restore and maintain physical function of the individual (paraffin equipment, pacemaker, parallel bars, hot and cold compresses, infrared); audiometry
- Counselling sessions that encourage the child with special learning needs to maximize his or her ability to learn and transfer it to the problems encountered in daily life.
- Speech therapy sessions to treat joint disorders, speech, voice, the spoken and written language, and those of communication.
3. Related activities OS3. The empowerment of people with disabilities.
- Behavioural therapy sessions. This activity is to replicate situations of everyday life (outings, participation in events (sporting, cultural...), personal hygiene, culinary workshop...
- Occupational therapy sessions conducted in a home-workshop space where clients learn to perform various chores.
4. OS4 related activities. Facilitate the professional integration of youth and young adult beneficiaries from the center
- Training in sewing
- Handicrafts (paper mache creation, making a rag doll)
- Workshop bakery
- Professional training of aesthetics (hair, manicure ...).
5. Related activities OS5. Educate peers of children with disabilities to the importance of proper management of disability.
- Consulting and training for teachers of the schools 'traditional' in terms of establishment of appropriate educational tools or ergonomics of the space
- Awareness sessions for parents to follow the interest of inclusive education for their children.
Directly affected population:
177 children, adolescents and adults, aged between 1 and 45, enjoy the activities developed by the center Melvin Jones. The social and geographical origin of children and adolescents enrolled in school is very diverse. The center is unique in the township of La Libertad, some families far removed from the structure do not hesitate to make long journeys for the welfare of their children. Registration is open to all, regardless of age or condition of economic resources. Financial participation, even symbolic, however, is required for all families so that they are fully invested in the project set up by the center Melvin Jones.
Population affected indirectly.
The action of FPANJEZ also benefits for parents of school children through training workshops, advice or to field visits by professionals working within or in partnership with Melvin Jones. No studies have been conducted specifically to determine the impact of the action of the center and the affected population is difficult to identify. Meetings within and outside the structure, training sessions for teachers from neighbouring schools, events conducted within the structure can reach a large number of people without being able to advance a specific figure. It also considers indirect beneficiaries, all persons who, although not receiving direct training, are aware of the problems treated, through radio ads, posters, flyers and via their participation in roundtables training.
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