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Description
In Bulgaria, about 200 children in the age between 0 and 18 have cancer. Every child undergoing cancer treatment is a child at risk. Prolonged treatment, hair loss, frequent changes in appearance and limited social contacts lead to many psychological problems not only for the child but for the family, too. These factors determine the target groups of the project - children and young people/survivors with onco-hematological diseases, their parents, siblings, and families who have lost a child in the battle with cancer. The main objective of the project is the successful introduction and provision of the "Center for Children with Oncohematologic Diseases" service. The objective will be achieved by: study of good practices implemented in such centers in the EU and donor-countries, developing a methodology for the provision of services at the center, development of completely new programs for work with different groups of users of the service based on the best practices studied and in accordance with the methodology. The programs for psychological rehabilitation aim at restoring suffering processes and modeling behaviors in children and parents. Social rehabilitation programs aim to support reintegration after treatment is completed. Therapeutic activities are aimed at enriching the child''s personality, activating creative potential and creating emotional comfort. The purpose of the project activities is to regain children and their families'' self-esteem, to overcome post-hospital parental control in a safe environment through specially prepared therapeutic programs and support groups. Comprehensive work with children and their families will lead to a significant improvement in mental health, facilitation of re-socialization, easier adaptation to return to school, and consequently the elimination of the risk to the child.