Awareness campaign "Can you see me?"

19 thousand people with Down syndrome live in Ukraine. 15 thousand of them are 16- to 60-year-old. These people want and can work. But currently, only 8 of them are officially employed at the open labor market.

The good news is that in Ukraine new opportunities are being created for them now. In September 2021, charity organization ‘Perspectiva 21.3’ opened the Social and Vocational Training Center, where young adults with Down syndrome, autism, and intellectual disabilities have been undergoing training for supported employment and independent living.

But the question is whether Ukrainians are ready to see them as their colleagues, as waiters who will bring coffee at a favorite cafe, or as supermarket employees who layout goods on shelves?

Therefore, the awareness campaign dedicated to the World Down Syndrome Day which we plan to conduct in February-March of 2022, we called precisely this: ‘Are you ready to see me?’ This way we would like to continue forming a culture of acceptance and equality in Ukrainian society.

We invite everyone to become part of the change in Ukrainian society and support this awareness campaign financially – every donation matters!

In case of successful completion by November 30, the Zagoriy Foundation will match the sum with UAH 50,000, which we will use to strengthen our work of spreading awareness.

Join us! Changing the world is more effective together :)