In the confined and restricted spaces of refugee camps, a remarkable community has emerged out of necessity, one that wholeheartedly embraces and supports individuals with disabilities. Take for example the Burj Barajneh refugee camp, where Beit Atfal Assumoud an inclusive organization that among its many endeavors, provides services for individuals with a disability.
Rowaida Gharbal a psychomotor therapist working in Beit Atfal Assumoud walks us through her approach. “Each session carries a certain goal and is very valuable. I put the children in small groups encouraging them to interact with each other and through it achieve the objectives set. Every session carries the capability to enhance the skills of the children”.
Sometimes, she tells us, the sessions focus on hearing, attention, the sequence of events, etc. “I count on the educational toys to get the concepts across, kids end up learning faster and develop affinities for certain toys consequently, the concepts get rooted in their minds. Modern resources have greatly helped me to carry out larger activities, deliver concepts across, and complete objectives. It’s also very heartwarming how children find joy in the toys, considering that numerous families in the camps struggle to afford essential items, leaving little room for indulgences like playthings, it definitely gives them an incentive to keep attending all the sessions”, Rowaida affirms.
In another center under the same organization, we met with Melissa Mwanas a speech therapist working with 12-year-old Farah, with speech delay and intellectual disability. “My plan with Farah focuses on empowering her so she can navigate her daily life, care for herself, dress herself, communicate with others, and stand up for herself. In our sessions, we like to read stories. Due to Farah’s case, she has missed formative years in school so reading and writing have been put on the back burner. But because reading directions and being able to locate herself is important for her collective well-being, we are concentrating on reading directions, names of local shops, writing her name, and very basic quintessential concepts. Farah requires an embracive effort from her, her parents, and me. With consistent sessions as well as parental supervision, Farh can get better” Melissa declares.
Farah is one of the many children who rely on the center to receive psychological, psychomotor, behavioral, and speech therapy. These sessions are central to their lives and are capable of leaving a big difference, but they are usually expensive for parents and over what they can afford. Therefore, the improvement of the child is parallel to the ability of the centers to provide the funding necessary to cover treatment sessions.
As part of the “Enhancing the quality of life of Palestinian people and children with disabilities in Lebanon” project, Taawon secured the resources and actively covers the fees of sessions in Beit Atfal Assumoud in Burj Barajneh and other refugee camps in Lebanon, implemented with the support of GIZ.
