For twenty-five years, the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta and the Budapest Wine Festival have been working together to support people in need. This year, proceeds from the anniversary Charity Wine Auction will benefit the hydrotherapy unit of a movement development center for infants and young children with special needs or physical disabilities. Bidders and generous donors alike can contribute by purchasing the exceptional wines offered at the event.
What will a baby grow up to be? The answer may only become clear after many years, but so much depends on those first few years of life. It is during this critical period that the foundations of movement, speech, and many social skills are built. Early identification of developmental challenges and timely professional intervention can be life-changing. This is especially important for children with special needs. Effective and early healthcare services are essential to help them live as independently as possible in adulthood.
At the Tóparti Outpatient Clinic in Gárdony, operated by Pro Rekreatione Nonprofit Ltd., an organization maintained by the Charity Service, children aged from birth to six years receive free, family-centered care. The team includes medical specialists, special education teachers, speech therapists, psychologists, conductors, and physiotherapists, working together across multiple disciplines.
A physiotherapist gently rotates the limbs of a baby girl. She cries loudly, not because the therapist is inattentive, but because her muscles are so tight that even diapering and dressing cause her pain. However, physical therapy is crucial. Movement forms the basis for speech, coordination, and learning. The specialists at the Gárdony center recommended hydrotherapy. The mother agreed, and soon the little girl is floating in the warm water of a therapy pool. She becomes absorbed by the gentle waves, the sounds, and the new sensations, hardly noticing she is being moved. Week by week, she shows progress. She begins to enjoy the therapy, and a few months later she walks home on her own two feet, hand in hand with her mother.
Hydrotherapy is highly effective for this little girl, as it is for most children. Professionals adjust the water’s physical properties to suit each child’s individual difficulties. For many children with motor impairments, time spent in water offers the only chance to experience the joy of free and uninhibited movement. That is why hydrotherapy has been a part of the Tóparti Outpatient Clinic in Gárdony for over ten years. However, the therapy area now urgently needs a complete renovation. In addition to modernizing the mechanical systems and installing a child-friendly, chlorine-free water purification system, it is important to purchase an underwater treadmill. This equipment would help many children receive even more effective therapy.
At the Charity Service, meaningful support is more than an action. It is also an environment. Like water, it sustains, embraces, and nurtures development in a personalized way. This is the kind of environment we strive to create in our center in Gárdony. We kindly ask for your generous support to help us improve the comprehensive services of the Tóparti Outpatient Clinic and renovate its hydrotherapy area.
Photos by Árpád Csaba Majoros / Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta
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