Nineteen-year-old Ali Jibril loves basketball. You can often find him on the court practicing his skills with his teammates.
In addition to their love of the game, the group has another thing in common: they all have physical disabilities that inhibit walking.
Ali was in a car accident in 2013 that caused severe bruising and fractures to the lower part of his body. Hindered by many years of blockade, communities in Gaza struggle to meet the medical needs of the physically handicapped. People like Ali, who need rehabilitation and support in dealing with physical disabilities, have few places to turn for medicine and treatment.
“When I started my therapy classes at the society, things changed. I am still young and full of dreams," Ali said.
“I thought my life had ended at this point,” says Ali. Fortunately, he was able to find help at the Society of Physically Handicapped People, a long-time Anera partner in Gaza. Ali is a recipient of vitamins, painkillers and antibiotics, which are all donated to the Society through Anera’s robust in-kind medical relief program.
Supporting Palestinian Clinics through Medical Aid to Gaza
The program for medical aid to Gaza enables Gaza hospitals and clinics to better care for their patients in the long term. When they don’t have to worry about the prohibitive costs of much-needed medicines, partners like the Society of Physically Handicapped People can spend their limited resources on equipment, therapy and other treatments.
At the Society, Ali discovered a talent for basketball and has regained hope for the future. “When I started my therapy classes at the society, things changed,” he explains. “I am still young and full of dreams.”
He’s embracing the opportunities available to him. “I love games, and I recently took part in the national basketball contest,” he smiles.
“Being disabled is not a choice I made, but I do have the choice to find a way to enjoy life.”
Medical aid to Gaza clinics helps Palestinians dealing with circumstances beyond their control find a way to live their lives in health and dignity.
