Walking towards hope: one disabled girl gets a second chance
Meeting 14-year-old Warda for the first time, it’s difficult to imagine that her beautiful but shy smile hides so much pain and sadness. Warda, which means “rose” in Arabic, has been physically disabled since birth, due to a defect in her spinal cord. At home in Bir Al Najaa village in northern Gaza, Warda has only been able to walk with great difficulty and her frequent hospital stays for treatment have caused her to fall behind at school. She should be in class with students her own age, but is instead in the fifth grade with the ten and eleven year olds.Warda’s condition is a further cause of concern for her father, who suffers from diabetes and hypertension. Warda’s grandmother explains her son’s anxiety. “He could not taste life while his daughter Warda continues to suffer and struggle.” Warda’s disability made her increasingly anxious, and she would continually worry about her next doctor’s visit and not fitting in at school.
I always felt sorry for her, and I tried to take away her sadness and get her to become joyful and happyWhile her brothers and sisters were outside playing, Warda would sit in her room alone. “I always felt sorry for her, and I tried to take away her sadness and get her to become joyful and happy,” says Warda’s mother.
Through World Vision’s ‘Atfaluna Amaluna Project’, which means ‘Our Children, Our Hope’, Warda and 2,200 children like her have been given the support they need to work through their physical and psychosocial challenges. This nearby centre provided psychosocial support and extra-curricula activities for vulnerable children who had been affected by conflict.
Funded by USAID, the project aimed to improve the well-being of children in the northern and southern areas of the Gaza Strip through various activities that sought to meet the diverse needs of children. Nirvana, Warda’s little sister, was one of the children who was selected to participate in the project.
By teaching life skills to children and their parents, as well as strengthening community educational and psychosocial networks, the project also aimed to strengthen community resilience and the psychosocial wellbeing of the whole community.
World Vision continues to support community members in promoting the psychosocial well-being of children in situations of conflictSince June 2007, Gaza has been under complete blockade, crippling Gaza’s already fragile economy and forcing 80% of its residents to depend on food aid, according to UN reports. Following the Israeli 2008 invasion of Gaza, residents faced the worst humanitarian crisis since 1967. According to reports by UNICEF, 1,440 Palestinians were killed (of whom 431 were children and 114 women), 5,380 injured (of whom 1,872 were children and 800 women), and fourteen Israeli civilians were killed.
Through projects such as Atfaluna Amaluna, World Vision has been able to build capacity within communities and teachers to support child development, and inform communities about available specialised services. World Vision continues to support community members in promoting the psychosocial well-being of children in situations of conflict while restoring opportunities for play, learning, and community engagement that are safe, constructive, and enjoyable.
After several attempts, Warda’s mother was able to convince Warda to accompany her little sister Nirvana to the centre. The project team soon noticed that Warda tended to stand alone, turning her face to the wall. They noticed that her eyes would scan the room, watching the other children with hope and her heart full of longing.
The World Vision project team looked into Warda’s story and determined she would be eligible to join the other children in participating in the project. “We have to help her overcome her disability and live a full life,” says Project Coordinator, Rania Sammour.
Warda’s initial hesitancy to participate began to fall away after staff talked to her individually and encouraged her to come to the project sessions. With time, Warda continued attending and was able to benefit from the psychosocial support and individual activities of “Atfaluna Amaluna”. Gradually, staff were able to help Warda to play with the other children and express her feelings in group sessions.
Soon, she began to sing, dance, draw, and play, and with time she was able to interact, participate, and even lead her group. “I am very happy to be able to be in the project. I have learned, played, and enjoyed a lot during the days I spent with friends in the centre!” exclaimed Warda happily. “I like my teachers, they treat me the same way they treat other children.”
I am not afraid of school anymore- I can read and writeThrough the project, Warda was also able to attend remedial education sessions to improve her school performance. “I am not afraid of school anymore- I can read and write!” she exclaims.
“She tended to be introverted and isolated. She sat in her desk looking to the ground. She was unable to spell letters or write complete words,” said Samar Al Himdiat, Warda’s English teacher of Warda before the project. “Now, after the project, she began to come to lessons prepared, and many times raised her hands to answer questions!”
“As an organisation with over ten years of experience working to improve the well-being of children in the volatile Gaza Strip, we are acutely aware of the need for, and amazing potential of, community-based psychosocial support,” says World Vision Gaza Programme Director Siobhan Kimmerle.
“While children like Warda may indeed need professionals to treat her physical disability, it is really family and close community who are best placed to support improvement in a child’s psychological and social well-being. World Vision is committed to supporting the communities in Gaza to do just that. As a mother from North Gaza reflected during the project evaluation ‘We liked the sessions so much, so we applied the lessons at home. We want our children to be good, and we have seen the changes in our children.’”
Through the Atfaluna Amaluna Project, World Vision was able to leverage international expertise in partnership with local expertise to tailor curricula and activities to the Gazan child’s reality, meanwhile supporting our local partner to raise awareness of parents and teachers around their role and capacities to positively influence the change they want to see in their children. Through this project, World Vision has been able to help 2,200 children including Warda and Nirvana, as well as 50 kindergarten staff, 400 parents, and 30 university graduates.
Now when you talk to Warda’s mother, you can see the happiness and pride in her eyes for her daughter. “Nowadays, she always asks for my permission to go downstairs to play with her sisters. She does not feel alone anymore”, says her mother. Warda’s loneliness, anxiety, and fear have been replaced by a big and beautiful smile.
- Ends -
Note: The Atfaluna Amaluna project is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by World Vision.
I always felt sorry for her, and I tried to take away her sadness and get her to become joyful and happyWhile her brothers and sisters were outside playing, Warda would sit in her room alone. “I always felt sorry for her, and I tried to take away her sadness and get her to become joyful and happy,” says Warda’s mother.
Through World Vision’s ‘Atfaluna Amaluna Project’, which means ‘Our Children, Our Hope’, Warda and 2,200 children like her have been given the support they need to work through their physical and psychosocial challenges. This nearby centre provided psychosocial support and extra-curricula activities for vulnerable children who had been affected by conflict.
Funded by USAID, the project aimed to improve the well-being of children in the northern and southern areas of the Gaza Strip through various activities that sought to meet the diverse needs of children. Nirvana, Warda’s little sister, was one of the children who was selected to participate in the project.
By teaching life skills to children and their parents, as well as strengthening community educational and psychosocial networks, the project also aimed to strengthen community resilience and the psychosocial wellbeing of the whole community.
World Vision continues to support community members in promoting the psychosocial well-being of children in situations of conflictSince June 2007, Gaza has been under complete blockade, crippling Gaza’s already fragile economy and forcing 80% of its residents to depend on food aid, according to UN reports. Following the Israeli 2008 invasion of Gaza, residents faced the worst humanitarian crisis since 1967. According to reports by UNICEF, 1,440 Palestinians were killed (of whom 431 were children and 114 women), 5,380 injured (of whom 1,872 were children and 800 women), and fourteen Israeli civilians were killed.
Through projects such as Atfaluna Amaluna, World Vision has been able to build capacity within communities and teachers to support child development, and inform communities about available specialised services. World Vision continues to support community members in promoting the psychosocial well-being of children in situations of conflict while restoring opportunities for play, learning, and community engagement that are safe, constructive, and enjoyable.
After several attempts, Warda’s mother was able to convince Warda to accompany her little sister Nirvana to the centre. The project team soon noticed that Warda tended to stand alone, turning her face to the wall. They noticed that her eyes would scan the room, watching the other children with hope and her heart full of longing.
The World Vision project team looked into Warda’s story and determined she would be eligible to join the other children in participating in the project. “We have to help her overcome her disability and live a full life,” says Project Coordinator, Rania Sammour.
Warda’s initial hesitancy to participate began to fall away after staff talked to her individually and encouraged her to come to the project sessions. With time, Warda continued attending and was able to benefit from the psychosocial support and individual activities of “Atfaluna Amaluna”. Gradually, staff were able to help Warda to play with the other children and express her feelings in group sessions.
Soon, she began to sing, dance, draw, and play, and with time she was able to interact, participate, and even lead her group. “I am very happy to be able to be in the project. I have learned, played, and enjoyed a lot during the days I spent with friends in the centre!” exclaimed Warda happily. “I like my teachers, they treat me the same way they treat other children.”
I am not afraid of school anymore- I can read and writeThrough the project, Warda was also able to attend remedial education sessions to improve her school performance. “I am not afraid of school anymore- I can read and write!” she exclaims.
“She tended to be introverted and isolated. She sat in her desk looking to the ground. She was unable to spell letters or write complete words,” said Samar Al Himdiat, Warda’s English teacher of Warda before the project. “Now, after the project, she began to come to lessons prepared, and many times raised her hands to answer questions!”
“As an organisation with over ten years of experience working to improve the well-being of children in the volatile Gaza Strip, we are acutely aware of the need for, and amazing potential of, community-based psychosocial support,” says World Vision Gaza Programme Director Siobhan Kimmerle.
“While children like Warda may indeed need professionals to treat her physical disability, it is really family and close community who are best placed to support improvement in a child’s psychological and social well-being. World Vision is committed to supporting the communities in Gaza to do just that. As a mother from North Gaza reflected during the project evaluation ‘We liked the sessions so much, so we applied the lessons at home. We want our children to be good, and we have seen the changes in our children.’”
Through the Atfaluna Amaluna Project, World Vision was able to leverage international expertise in partnership with local expertise to tailor curricula and activities to the Gazan child’s reality, meanwhile supporting our local partner to raise awareness of parents and teachers around their role and capacities to positively influence the change they want to see in their children. Through this project, World Vision has been able to help 2,200 children including Warda and Nirvana, as well as 50 kindergarten staff, 400 parents, and 30 university graduates.
Now when you talk to Warda’s mother, you can see the happiness and pride in her eyes for her daughter. “Nowadays, she always asks for my permission to go downstairs to play with her sisters. She does not feel alone anymore”, says her mother. Warda’s loneliness, anxiety, and fear have been replaced by a big and beautiful smile.
- Ends -
Note: The Atfaluna Amaluna project is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by World Vision.
Share