A Global Voice for Autism Covid-19 Emergency Fund

Location: Jordan (Irbid), Turkey (Mersin, Gaziantep), Palestine (Jenin, Ramallah), USA (Iowa, Minnesota)

A Global Voice for Autism is a United States 501(c)(3) public charitable organization that equips conflict-affected communities to support the development and success of autistic children with children whose lives have been impacted by trauma. We offer in-person capacity-building programming for parents, teachers, government stakeholders and community members seven conflict-affected communities worldwide and virtual support programming in 13 global communities.

Our Need

Our organization works with some of the world’s most vulnerable families. They are raising children with special needs while living as refugees and in situations of ongoing conflict. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the well-being of many families in our community. According to a recent survey of our community members in Jordan, the Palestinian Territories, Turkey and the U.S.:

• 40% of our families are experiencing food insecurity. Many of these families have children with special dietary needs who will become sick if their families cannot afford their diets. We need to provide food support to keep our children healthy.

• 43% of autistic children are having new self-injurious behaviors in quarantine. Many are living in substandard housing where potential for injury is high. We need to help these families get supplies that can make their homes safer for their children.

• 14% of our children who use communication devices are at risk of losing electricity in their homes. Without electricity, they lose their “voices.” We need to help with electricity payments so these children can communicate their wants and needs.

• 30% of our families list enrichment for their children among their top needs. Without ideas to engage children with limited resources, our families are seeing regression in their children’s skills. We need to develop inclusive learning content to keep our children engaged.
  

Support

We are seeking $10,000 in funding to create a 2-month support fund for our community. We are seeking $10,000 to support three components of our Emergency Fund project.

Budget
Emergency Support Fund $8,400
Translation Stipend $500
Employing Activity Leaders $1,100
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$10,000

We are currently seeking to raise this amount and are reaching out to past supporters and funders as well as grant-making organizations and COVID-19 emergency response programs.

Other needs: Volunteers, Space for online meetings

See more: www.aglobalvoiceforautism.org

For more information contact covid19@unmgcy.org