Friendly Life Down Syndrome Foundation

We, as the families having a child with Down Syndrome associated for our ìFriendly Life Down Syndrome Foundationî in 1998, to solve the common problems that we live with and tha support the families who needs a friendly help.

The unsatisfactory health support and education system of Turkey for over 7.5 milions of physically or mentally handicapped people motivated us to come together under a formal structure for the future of our children. For this purpose our application in 1997, was certified by the government in May 1998.

We accept Down Syndrome as one of the different faces of life and mankind. With this reference we try to motive the community to admit our children as productive individuals with functional constitutional rights and to communicate with the families having a Down Syndrome child in Turkey, to associate a family solidarity.

Mankind, as a social being, puts solidarity and sharing in to the center of this modern life. Keeping this mind we call everbody to collaborate with our foundation or to be a volunteer of our foundation, as individuals, private or official organizations.

THE MAIN TARGETS OF FRİENDLY LİFE DOWN SYNDROME FOUNDATION

• Informing the community about Down Syndrome and force the usage of prenatal diagnosis methods within the country.
• Beginning from the birth of a child, assuring moral support to relieve the family. To create a family solidarity by establishing the communication between them for a united effort to integrate their children with the community.
• To maintain a public opinion for the people with Down syndrome to be equal and productive individuals, using equal citizenship rigths in the community.
• Try to infom and help the families with imposibilities, about the contemporary and promising developments on Down Syndrome. Supporting the families by introducing them methods for their childís care and education
• To arrange educational programs of arts sports, and profession to achieve the growth of Down Syndrome children.
• To obtain all kinds of useful information and materials in a library to serve them to the families and users.To contact foundations, institutions, associations, organizations etc, to create and realize associated projects and solutions in the fields of health care, education and socialization.
• To contact people or organizations with similar activities through out the world to share their information and experiences. To organize panels, seminars and conferences wityh the participation of experts to distribute the information to the families and to the community.

• We contact or support the professional experts who follow up international activities on Down Syndrome. With their participation several panels and meetings are organized to get the obsarvations and impressions on latest developments to increase the knowledge on Down Syndrome.
• Our "Family Support Programme" with the collaboration of İstanbul University, Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty and participant families of the foundation is trying to relieve the shock of the families who faces with Down Syndrome by assuring moral support. Further, guiding the family for their childís care as soon as possible from the birth.
• The information obtained through the internet and the foreign literature are translated for our library and together with publications audible and visual materials are offered to the interested families and users.
• Info brochures and a monthly bulletin in Turkish are prepared and send to the families and to the related institutions.
• Encouraging of press and broadcasting companies are resulted with many articles and programs on Down Syndrome to increase the sensibility and the interest of the community.

Relations established with education and health organizations and local authorities ended with permanent services to Down Syndrome children.

In the Foundation Center we have education and physiotherapy services, together with music and rhythm courses. Also periodic family meetings together with experts on special topics are organized.

DEAR PARENTS

• You are informed that you have a Down Syndrome baby. A child away from your thougths, wishes and expectations. May be you feel your child is a stranger and you are not sure where to put your love, which you have prepared so long with care.
• Your life is not going to be an easy one, but be sure that itís going to be a ìlong enjoyable journeyî. You will find out many feelings, which you have lost, many times ago. You will find out of the meaning of ìLOVEî again in a different aspect.
• You donít have to change your or your familyís life too much. You are not ALONE and do not hesitate to get support when you are bored. The experiences of many parents that passed through the same roads before will make your life easier and safer.
• Don'ít forget your child needs love and you will receive much more when you do so. Like all children, he needs kindness, friendship, play and happiness, which you could supply easily without too much effort.

DON'T FORGET YOU HAVE YOUR FRIENDS HAND BESIDE YOU, ANY TIME YOU NEED!