SPARE Program helps children with disabilities to learn more about health (disability) and to protect the climate



Author: Lyudmila Zhirina
Interpreter: Bamidele Oni, the director of the NGO Green impact International (Nigeria), volunteer of the NGO Viola (Russia)

Bryansk NGO "Viola" - coordinator of SPARE program in the Central Federal District of Russia and the Moscow region has developed and implemented elements of the SPARE program in the activities of schools with inclusive education. The program has been an inclusive one with the bringing together of healthy children and children with disabilities into one study group and all in the same class to learn about health - a new process information in Russia.

 In our region we have several dozens of model schools that participated in the state, program tagged “Available environment" in 2011. These schools have received material and technical base suitable for the teaching of disabled children from the federal and regional authorities.

SPARE program has become very popular in our region and this led to the invitation of the regional coordinators of SPARE program by the administration to take part in the creation of experimental platforms in schools.

Between the years 2011 – 2016, we have been able to do a lot with the SPARE program.
We have created and sent out to schools, presentations and text materials for teachers about the possibilities of using the SPARE program for inclusive programs on the topics: "The participation of children with disabilities in school projects competition", "Features of festivals, competitions of drawings, flash mobs on" Climate and Energy Saving " "Family controls energy savings" and others. These theoretical materials were the first innovative materials for inclusive schools on environmental projects.

Regional coordinators SPARE conducted workshops both in urban and rural schools located in Moscow, Bryansk and Kaluga regions.

Between years 2011 and 2016, we have received around 20 projects per year and they are mostly projects carried out by children with disabilities on health. Several times these projects have won various prizes at regional competitions. We have also been able to send some of these projects to the All-Russia competition and a lot of them have won prizes.  For example, in 2013 the project "Preparing for the Paralympic Games with the help of SPARE and we protect the climate" (By A.Kostyanoy); and in 2015 - the project "Saving energy - we keep our planet clean" (author A.Starchenko).

We always invite the international jury to allocate a special nomination for the projects and we do hope that this step will attract more children to participate in contests and SPARE schools.

Regional coordinators of SPARE helped develop inter-regional festivals for children with disabilities. The members of the "Energy team of the SPARE program organized and conducted competitions for children with disabilities on the themes: "Environment", "Climate Change", and "Let's Save energy."


We understand that we have taken the first steps in the adaptation of the SPARE program for schools with inclusive education and this step has helped to further understand that this is a very important area for the development of SPARE!

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