Sofya Zakharova’s parents just love their little girl to pieces, but when they tried to enroll her in pre-k, they were hit with something they certainly didn’t expect.
Sofya’s parents were turned away at the pre-k, with representatives there telling them that their daughter, because of her looks, would scare other children. Sofya, of Russia, was born with a deformed skull, as well as fused fingers and toes. But beyond those physical issues, she is such a smart and happy child.
The parents had no where else to go with their daughter after the pre-k refused to take her. Those representatives told them that Sofya would have to have surgery to fix her looks before they would even consider taking her in.
But the parents did not have that kind of money. Anti-discrimination laws are few in Russia so there was no fight to fight. But, finally, the parents did get some offers of help.
Officials with Rainbow Goodness, a charity in Russia, offered their help to get Sofya enrolled in that pre-k. But, unfortunately, it didn’t do any good. The pre-k did not budge on its stance against accepting the little girl. Psychology experts even tried to get the pre-k to reconsider, letting them know how harmful it would be for her if she was not able to have interaction with children her age. But that went no where as well.
Finally, after all the ruckus, the government got involved, but in a very different way. Government reps did not push the pre-k school to take her in. They actually went a big step further. They paid for her to have an operation to fix her deformity. So how about that?
Every now and then, governments can really surprise us… with something positive.
