World Vision saves the lives of children in Southern Lebanon

Friday, October 23, 2015

With the establishment of World Vision’s Area Development Programme [ADP] in Bint Jbeil and its sponsorship programme, the majority of vulnerable children there who have become registered with World Vision have finally found the solution to their prominent problem of having no access to health care due to not having medical insurance—the parents of these children do not enjoy the benefits of the national security and cannot afford private insurance.

 Because access to health care was one of the most prominent needs identified, World Vision supported children in its programme area with medical insurance cards that cover up to $3,000 (USD) of medical expenses, resulting from any accident. The medical cards are funded by World Vision Malaysia.

 In the Southern Lebanon (Bint Jbeil and Marjeyoun), there are almost 5,000 registered children in total benefitting from these medical insurance cards: more than 2,400 are part of the Bint Jbeil ADP. The remaining 2,500 beneficiaries are in Marjeyoun.

 Each child (and their parents) receives a list of all the hospitals that the insurance company deals with so that they know where to go in case of an accident. To make their lives easier, they have many options, not only in the South but also in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut.

 Hussein, a 16-year-old boy is registered in World Vision’s sponsorship programme. He lives with his family in a rural region of Bint Jbeil. Only one week after receiving the medical insurance card in 2014, he was playing with his sister outside their home when Hussein broke his arm. “If we did not have this card, we would have ended up knocking on the doors of people, begging them for money to see who could help us,” Hussein’s mother says.

Hussein and his mother sitting outside the house.

“If we did not have this card [insurance card], we would have ended up knocking on the doors of people, begging them for money to see who could help us,” Hussein’s mother says.

 

After breaking his arm, Hussein’s parents called Youssef, the volunteer focal point for the project of the medical insurance cards at World Vision in Bint Jbeil. “Hussein [used the benefits of] two medical insurance cards within a period of six months to pay for two surgeries for his arm,” Youssef explains. The first surgery was immediately after the accident, and it entailed the installation of metal rods in his hand. The second surgery was three months later and entailed the withdrawal of those metal rods.

 Although the accident was one year ago, Hussein’s hand still has some scars from the accident and the surgeries. More importantly, however, Hussein’s arm is functioning normally, allowing him to continue his life as a child and help his father with work on the family farm.