Live Stream COVID-19 Update, with Our Global Autism Partners

Discover what’s possible when a global community is built on resilience.  We have a very special episode today, featuring a few of our Global Autism Project staff and partners. Actually, more than a few... There are a total of 13 people in this episode! This conversation offers a glimpse into the deeply rooted relationships of our Global Autism Community.  Here’s a little bit of context:  For over 17 years, the Global Autism Project has partnered with international autism centers to provide sustainable clinical, administrative, and leadership training. Three times a year, we’ve sent SkillCorps volunteer teams to our partner sites around the world to work directly with their local teachers and therapists.  When COVID-19 hit, we were forced to cancel all international travel and innovate new programs to stay afloat as an organization. Throughout this time, we’ve continued to meet with our partners every month over large Zoom calls. It’s always fun to see a mosaic of faces from across the globe on a single screen.  We recently thought it would be exciting for our followers on social media to join a call with our partners. So, during our meeting last week, we went live on Facebook and our partners shared the impact that the pandemic has had on their centers, the current situation in their respective countries, and some positive takeaways they’ve gained from this crisis. The audience was able to follow along and contribute questions in real-time.  Our CEO and Founder, Molly Ola Pinney, led the discussion between some of our staff and eight of our partners, many of which you might recognize from previous episodes. They called in from Kenya, India, China, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Rwanda.  We had originally scheduled a different episode for this week; however, right after we hung up, we realized that the content of our call was really worth sharing with you as well. As one could expect from a live call with 13 participants from 13 different locations across the world, we had some sound issues, but we have done our best to correct them for this podcast.  Just a reminder that you can find this conversation and all of our interviews on our YouTube channel: Global Autism Project.  For more information about our work, please visit globalautismproject.org.  ----more---- Since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, our partners have been adapting their services to support some of the most vulnerable children and their families. The unfortunate reality is that many of them are receiving little help from their governments, or none at all.  The good news is that you can help ensure their schools continue running services by making a donation today. 100% of your donations to the Partner Relief Fund go directly to our partners who need it most. You will be supporting internet access for remote teaching, educational materials, and protective equipment. You can make a difference today by supporting families and their children in our partners’ communities. Donations can be made at globalautismproject.org.  ----more---- We appreciate your time. If you enjoy this podcast and you’d like to support our mission, please take just a few seconds to share it with one person who you think will find value in it too. You can also follow us on Instagram @autismpodcast and subscribe to our YouTube channel Global Autism Project.  ----more---- We would love to hear your feedback about the show. Please fill out this short survey to let us know your thoughts: Listener Survey.