The Naked Heart Foundation was set up by Natalia Vodianova in 2004. Spurred into action by the Beslan tragedy, Natalia founded the charity with an aim to construct modern play parks in urban areas of Russia. To date, the charity has built 195 accessible play parks and playgrounds. Some of them are located at orphanages, children’s hospitals and rehabilitation centres.
The experience of disability in Natalia’s own family later prompted the development of a new programme entitled Every Child Deserves a Family in 2011. The Foundation believes that children flourish in a caring and loving environment and aims to help children stay with their families, rather than being placed in orphanages. Since March 2011, the Naked Heart Foundation has financed 18 projects in 7 cities in Russia. These include a Family Support Centre in Nizhny Novgorod, the first ever “play library”, set up in the Tula Region, ongoing sponsorship of the publishing and legal departments of the Centre for Curative Pedagogics (CCP) in Moscow and Summer and Autumn camps for children with special needs and their parents in the Tver, Tula and Orenburg regions. In addition, the charity actively campaigns for the full implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
We'll be supporting #WorldAutismAwarenessDay on social media with the Light it Up Blue hashtag #LIUB
