HEALTH
Wheelchairs get Gaza children on the move!
Nov, 2019
Abed loves basketball.
But until recently he couldn’t play.
Abed Gets Into the Game With His New Wheelchair
Abed, 9, is playing basketball with his friends today. It is an activity many kids his age would take for granted. But for Abed, playing his favorite sport was impossible until he got his new wheelchair.
Wheelchairs, crutches and walkers donated to the Society of Physically Handicapped People and several hospitals and clinics have brought a new sense of mobility and freedom to disabled children in Gaza like Abed.
"Before I got my new wheelchair, my life was pretty boring. I had nothing to do.”
Before the recent donation, Abed had relied on an old wheelchair that was in such poor shape that he used it as little as possible. “I could hardly move in my old wheelchair. And it was uncomfortable," he says.
Abed was born with a spinal deformity which left him paralyzed for life. "My family couldn't buy me a new wheelchair, so I had to stay at home most of the time. But now I can play and get around whenever I want," Abed says cheerfully.
Dalia Alkhatib volunteers at the center, spending time with the children. “Children with disabilities need people to understand them,” she says.
In Gaza, children with physical disabilities face many obstacles to living fulfilling lives. Often their families struggle to make ends meet. The Society of Physically Handicapped People is an important resource and community space for these children, opening opportunities and offering social activities.
Dalia is passionate about her volunteer work and the importance of society supporting the disabled. "Disabled children have their own perspectives that we need to understand,” she says. “They shouldn't be marginalized or excluded."
“A wheelchair is a basic need for kids here. It makes life so much easier and gives them freedom and mobility. And social inclusion — they need wheelchairs so that they can be active like other children.”
Thanks to the generous support of Islamic Relief USA, Anera recently procured locally 90 wheelchairs, 40 crutches and 40 walkers for people with disabilities in Gaza. The views expressed herein are those of Anera and shall not, in any way whatsoever, be construed to reflect the official opinion of Islamic Relief USA, its Islamic Relief affiliates, or its donors.
