At the meeting with Penza Region Governor Oleg Melnichenko, the discussion focused on cooperation under the projects of the Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights. To date, three new centres for teenagers were opened and are successfully operating in the region. They are attended by almost 3,000 children every month. Another area of joint work concerns efforts to reduce the number of children under the age of four in social institutions.
Maria Lvova-Belova stressed that the Penza Region is a participant in Zero-Four, a pilot project for the prevention of social orphanhood. The Children in the Family service has been operating for a year, with 56 kids returning from the in-patient care facilities to the family over that period. Relevant municipal services are to open within the next two months.
According to the Children’s Commissioner, by the end of the year, the regional children’s home will be converted into a rehabilitation centre with early assistance services for families, a nursery and a day-care centre for children with disabilities.
Maria Lvova-Belova also attended a gala concert dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the Louis Quarter charitable organisation.