A Global Voice for Autism equips refugee and conflict-affected communities to support and include children with autism in their classrooms, homes and communities.

Before connecting with support from A Global Voice for Autism, many of the families we serve are struggling to survive. They've lost their homes, their countries, and many loved ones, and are at a loss for how to support their children with no resources and while struggling to provide for their basic needs.

In the words of one mother, Maya:

"I was terrified of losing my son. After my husband was killed and we fled our home, he started hurting himself and was covered in bruises. An aid worker saw him, didn't believe that he was hurting himself, and threatened to take him away from me. I couldn't stand the thought of losing my son, so I stopped letting aid workers visit and lost my food and housing support. I had no idea how my family was going to survive."

That's where we come in. Through parent and teacher training, support groups for parents and siblings, advocacy, inclusive play groups, and community inclusion events that increase autism awareness and address stigma, A Global Voice for Autism provides families like Maya's with the support they need to get back on their feet while helping them build and participate in more inclusive communities.

"A Global Voice for Autism was a lifeline for my family. They taught me how to help my son tell me what he needs and to decrease his self-injury. Once his bruises healed, I felt comfortable letting aid workers visit us again and got my housing and food support back.

They also introduced me to other parents in similar situations and I made friends for the first time since fleeing my home. Now, we support each other and train other families too. I've already trained six families and it is safe to say that it has changed all our lives.

There's more. Teachers joined the training too and learned to include my son and other kids like him in their classrooms. This fall, at age 9, he got to go to school for the first time in his life. I had given up hope, but now I can't wait to see what my son will achieve in the future."

Maya's story is one of the 18,623+ stories of families, teachers, community advocates and children with disabilities whose lives have been positively impacted by A Global Voice for Autism's programs. The data speaks for itself:

-Tens of thousands of family members and childrenthat have joined the A Global Voice for Autism community report finding a community where they feel completely safe and included for the first time in their lives.

-Thousands of community members have improved their understanding of autism and have overcome harmful misconceptions like "Children with autism cannot learn," and "Autism is caused by bad parenting." Through our community inclusion events and awareness activities they've learned that these statements are false and have become active advocates for disability inclusion in their communities.

-Thousands of parents have decreased their parenting stress levels, increased their confidence in their abilities to teach their children new skills, and have become more comfortable taking their children with autism out in public.

-Hundreds of children on the autism spectrum have been able to go to school for the first time in their lives thanks to their skills development, and the advocacy and use of inclusive education practices by teachers in our programs.

Your support makes this all possible and, with more refugees than ever before in the world today, you are needed more than ever. We currently have 36 communities on a waiting list for our programs, including Ukrainian, Afghan and Syrian refugees. Contribute today to provide families that have lost everything with the support they need to support their children, build community, and thrive.

Together, we can make a difference.

Giving Tuesday

Be a Lifeline for a Child on the Autism Spectrum: Your support helps children on the autism spectrum and their families participate in their communities, learn, and thrive.

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