Mentally handicapped affirmed:Nothing is impossible [Archives:2005/882/Local News]
BY MOHAMMED AL-JABRI
YEMEN TIMES STAFF
SANA'A – Oct. 1 – The first Mentally Handicapped Festival concluded its activities on Saturday. The festival included officials from the Parliament, Shoura Council and the Handicapped Care and Rehabilitation Fund.
The festival was initiated with the speech of the handicapped delivered by the student Osamah Farhan, where he greeted the participants at the festival. On behalf of the handicapped, he expressed his happiness and gratitude about all the people who attended. He finally thanked the people from the Handicapped Association, who made the festival a great success.
After that, Ms. Mona ba Sharahil, head of the Handicapped Association, delivered the keynote speech of the festival in which she welcomed everyone who had come. “Your presence is an indication of your human and national spirit. Your presence today reflects your cooperation and care for the handicapped,” she said. Ms. Mona gave a brief explanation about the foundation of the association, saying: “The association was founded in May 1999 motivated by human ideals. It is an independent association aiming at taking care of the handicapped. It has run many workshops and qualifying courses. We succeeded in building a private school for the handicapped and it included 55 students in the last academic year. Now there are about 565 students. However, there are many obstacles that stand in our way: We lack a convenient location and we also lack money, and we also have some difficulties with transportation”.
On the other hand, Ms. Mona referred to the Handicapped Care and Rehabilitation Fund and its prominent role. The fund, she said, has provided the association with three buses and some female teachers. She also said that handicapped care is the responsibility of society as a whole. At the end of her speech, Ms. Mona affirmed that such a festival will be held annually so that it will encourage the handicapped and make it easier for them to develop their abilities.
The Executive Director of the Handicapped Care and Rehabilitation Fund, Mr. Abdullah al-Hamdani, delivered a speech in which he thanked the members of the association.
“The work of the association is getting better, and here at the festival we can see that the association has made a big effort towards handicapped care. Here nothing is impossible, a phrase which we should embody and translate into actions,” said Mr. al-Hamdani. Moreover, he agreed to move the association to a more convenient location due to the increasing number of students. He also affirmed that the fund will provide the association with more transportation means.
Groups of students carried out several activities like sketches, songs and chants and some of them delivered speeches that reflected their determination to overcome difficulties.
The handicapped are humans first and foremost even if they suffer from disability that affects their life and hinder them and their families. The situation, therefore, obliges us to take care of the handicapped and provide them with the right social and psychological atmosphere to enable them to overcome difficulties and show their skills and gifts to others. Today the handicapped are receiving high support both from the government and the public.
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