CBR-SMILE’s project proposal entitled “Dance Movement Therapy for Children with Disabilities” submitted to Gawad Metronian Educational Foundation, Inc. [GMEFI] was awarded Thirty Thousand Pesos [P30,000] under its Community Educational Fund Assistance Program. A Memorandum of Agreement was signed yesterday, July 19, Tuesday.

CBR-SMILE with office at 04 Bicol Street, Group 3, Payatas B, Quezon City believes that children with disabilities are not given opportunities for leisure and recreation that will develop their motor, communication and social skills. Often, they are excluded from mainstream activities offered to other children without disabilities.

Dance Movement is an alternative therapy for children with disabilities that enhance the development of their gross and fine motor skills as well as their communication and social skills. It compliments physical and occupational therapies that is beyond the reach of ordinary families having children with disabilities.

The project aims

1. To teach alternative dance movements to children with disabilities to develop their gross and fine motor skills;
2. To enhance the development of communication and social skills of CWD;
3. To teach parents and carers of CWD with basic knowledge and skills on dance movement therapy for them to continue teaching their children;
4. To develop collaborative undertakings between CBR SMILE and the Hearts at Play Foundation.

CBR-SMILE shall be working in collaboration with the Heart at Play Foundation (HPF)  in the project realization; the latter shall provide the dance therapy sessions to children with developmental disabilities such as autism, cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome and intellectual disability.

The project shall start in August and will end in December 2016.

CBR-SMILE is the third NGO recipient of GMEFI’s Community Educational Fund Assistance, after Autism Society Philippines, and the Philippine Federation of the Deaf. The latter’s project started last July 4 and will end in August.