Meet four-year-old Agustín Bassante. He lives in a valley near Ecuador’s capital Quito with his parents, Adriana and Andrés, and his two-year-old brother Felipe. Agustín enjoys playing with his little brother and they go to school together.
Agustín, who has Down syndrome, attends his “Titaru” school every day, which accepts children with different abilities.
In the mornings he has therapy sessions at his school to improve his attention, stimulate his senses and improve his learning ability.
In the afternoons, Agustín attends his karate class once a week where he hangs out with his friends. He has a lot of fun and this helps him improve his balance.
At his house twice a week in the afternoon, Agustín has personal therapy sessions with his therapist who reinforces what he learned at school and improves his fine motor skills through games and exercises. He enjoys his activities every day and is always in a good mood and ready to play and learn.
Agustin has come into my life to continue growing professionally and as a person, when I met him he only repeated a few words but now when I arrive at his house, he opens the door and greets me saying: "Hello Bella", with a big smile, very happy and he gives me a big hug. I know that Agustin will go very far.
Many people tell me that I work very hard to take care of Agustin, to attend to his needs and give him the support he needs to develop. They admire the time and resources we invest in him, but I tell them that even with everything I can do, I always owe him, because what Agustin gives us and teaches us every day is priceless. Agustín, you deserve it all.
Agustin started dancing before he could walk. He has always been very interested in music and has a lot of rhythm, he especially enjoys tropical music and rock.
Agustín has been attending the “Titaru” school for more than a year, we are part of his daily routine to play and learn social skills. With him we learn to balance discipline and the rhythm of individual learning. Agustín is cheerful, funny and is an excellent dancer. If you need a dance partner, he is the one! He always puts rhythm and movement into his life. We are happy to be with him.
Agustin’s inspiring story is part of a photo exhibition that will be showcased at the World Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education from 14 to 16 November 2022 Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The Conference will reaffirm the right of every young child to quality care and education from birth. It will urge Member States to expand their commitment and investment in ensuring that access of all girls and boys to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education.
