Feature: "Count on Me" supports people with Down syndrome in Cuba

Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-31 11:08:06|Editor: Xiaoxia
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by Raul Menchaca

HAVANA, March 30 (Xinhua) -- Daysi Pons' life changed 31 years ago when her daughter Lien was born and diagnosed with Down syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects one in every 800 live births, causing intellectual disability and delays in physical development.

From that moment, Pons, who holds a degree in pharmacology, dedicated herself to ensuring her daughter received not just love and affection, but tools necessary to lead a full life.

In 2013, she founded "Cuenta conmigo" ("Count on Me"), a project that promotes the continuing education and inclusion of people with Down syndrome.

"The project was born out of the need for our children to have a space where they can practice everything they have learned" at educational centers for children with special needs, Pons, 55, told Xinhua.

A cultural center in Havana's Playa district serves as headquarters of the project, where a dozen women with Down syndrome, aged 18 to 40, are enrolled in various workshops.

Parental care and government aid come together here to provide thematic workshops that are held weekly from Wednesday to Friday.

One unique aspect of the project is that the workshops are run by family members, in most cases mothers, who share their skills with their daughters and the other members.

Today, Lien is one of the most active participants in the workshops, which teach everything from regular school subjects to theater, music and folk dancing, puppetry, sports and life preparation, such as setting the table, using cutlery, washing dishes, sewing and embroidering.

Pablo "Paco" Torres, 57, who graduated from San Alejandro School of Fine Arts, teaches painting in the workshops.

"At the beginning, it was something exceptional for me because I did not have any experience in this type of work. But it has been a motivation to share everything I can," said the painter.

As students develop painting skills, such as mixing and applying color, they also improve their muscle control.

Claudia Moreno, a music instructor and member of "Luna," a vocal group in Cuba, leads the center's choir, which comprises both professional singers and students from the project.

"As a workshop, it's what we usually do, but a little simpler," Moreno said.

The students enjoy singing, as well as ballet taught by Romy Rodriguez and Jose Omar Arteaga, two young dancers who study at Havana's Institute of High Art. Also, they seem to get the most satisfaction from folk dancing, taught by art instructor and a former dancer Orlys Abad.

"What I like most is their devotion, and how they strive to overcome their limitations and learn the steps," said Abad, as he watched his pupils dance mambo, a lively Latin American dance.

Every Friday, students from Havana's Enrique Jose Varona Pedagogical University also take part in the project, reviewing the pupils' knowledge of reading, writing and basic math.

Born out of a mother's love, "Count on Me" has grown into a community-wide project that benefits both those who receive help and those who lend their helping hands.

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