Oye LENA

Mission statement 

“Fight poverty and social inequality by providing and working on quality education, stimulating development, and enhancing chances in the future for every child, regardless the child’s own limitations or the place/culture in which he or she grows up.”

Our project is open to everyone. We believe in a pluralistic society, in which people with different backgrounds interact with each other in a positive way without losing their individuality.

Only through quality education can a child reach his or her full potential.

But what does quality education entail?

We try to create a place where every child is unique and equal, where their rights are upheld, where they can be carefree and feel good. Feeling good also means being healthy, which is why we organise doctor’s visits and work on health education. Only then can children develop their talents and learn to be independent and self-confident.

Our education is centered around the child’s living environment, which consists of challenges and experiences, stimulates experimenting and exploring and forms the basis for learning in a motivating way. We try to stimulate the children’s development through “learning by doing” and “learning by playing” in order to increase their chance of a better future.

Every child is first and foremost a child. This is also true for children with a disability. They are children with interests, abilities and limits. Just as we do with other kids, we start with their abilities, with what they can do. Through inclusive education, we want to teach our toddlers and disabled kids tolerance, responsibility towards each other, respect for differences and the values of this differences.

We use innovative methods such as Sherborne, controlled multisensory environment therapy (snoezelen), learning centers, multisensory storytelling, bodymap, etc. We have created a mix of Belgian and Peruvian learning objectives, which include not only cognitive objectives, but also objectives related to social and emotional wellbeing and attitudes. These objectives give us something to go on, but we never lose sight of the child.

Education is likelier to bring good results when all parties involved work together. This is why we try to involve local schools, the health center and especially parents. We also expect our staff (both permanent staff and volunteers) to support this.