المخیم للاحتیاجات الخاصة في لبنان
في الشرق الأوسط لیس ھناك الدعم ذوي الاحتیاجات الخاصة. المفھوم ھو جديد في المنطقة
الوضع اقتصادي في لبنان سیئ جدا. لا يوجد مال للاحتیاجات الخاصة.
إنه من الصعب أن يكون شخص مع الاحتیاجات الخاصة في لبنان. ھناك أماكن خدمیة قلیلة جد اً
للعناية المعاقین خصوصا ذوي الاحتیاجات ذھنی اً . عادة تشعر الآسرة بالخجل إن كان أحد
أفرادھا مع الاحتیاجات الخاصة ا كان في الشارع أو في الحیز العام.
زرت مركز ذوي الاحتیاجات الخاصة في لبنان في الربیع و كان ھناك أربعة موظفین فقط و لكن كان ھناك
مائة شخص. حتى لو الموظفون بخیر كان ھناك نقص المال و المساعدة جعل الوضع غیر ممكن.
لھذه الأسباب كنت متطوعة في منظمة خیرية مسیحیة .ھذه المنظمة تنظم مخیمات للاشخاص
مع الإعاقات في الجبال. قضیت ثلاثة أسابیع في المخیمات مساعدة لمرضى. كان ھدف المخیم أن
يقدم للمرضىأفضل آسبوع في حیاتھم .كان ھناك نشاطات يومیة مثل الرسم و الغناء و الموسیقا
و المسرح و السباحة. ذھبنا إلى البحر. كنا دائما نطبخ الغداء و العشاء للمرضى
أنا إعتنیت بشخصین. الأول إسمه عظیم. لم يكن يتحدث كثیرا و لكن كان له إبتسامة ممیزة
قال لي أنه من حلب و ما كان عنده أسرته في لبنان و حیاته صعبة جد اً. و رغم ذلك كان يحب الرقص و
الموسیقا و الغناء جد اً و يستمتع بھم.الشخص الآخر إسمھا ربیعة ھي من بیروت.قال لي الأطباء أنھا
تعاني من الخرف. أحیان اً كانت تتحدث بشكل طبیعي و أحیان كانت في عالم اخر.
كانت تجربة رائعة. تعلمت كثیر اً عن نفسي و عن الإعاقات المختلفة.
ENGLISH:
Camps for the disabled
It is very difficult to be a disabled person in Lebanon and indeed in the Middle East. There are very few
specialist facilities to help people. Moreover, there is a lack of understanding about disabilities especially
people with mental disabilities and illness. Often families feel a sense of shame having a disabled member
of the family. This may result in not allowing the family member to be seen outside on the street or in
public. With regard to education, there are no “special needs” schools thus children with disabilities are
more often than not accounted for in the education system.
I visited one “disabled centre” in Lebanon and there were four members of staff (themselves elderly nuns),
looking after 100 disabled people. Even though the nuns were wonderful they could not cope with the
number of patients. Conditions were therefore awful; upsetting.
Because of this I decided to volunteer for a Christian charity that organises “camps” for disabled people in
the mountains. I spent 3 weeks this summer looking after guests. The aim of the camp is to give the visitors
the best week of their life. Every day there are activities, painting, music, singing, dancing, theatre,
swimming. We even took them to the beach one day – the first time some of the guests had ever had the
chance to go in the sea. With one volunteer for every guest they got love and care 24 hours a day.
I looked after 2 different guests. The first guest was Azeem. He did not speak very much but had a nice
smile. He told me he was from Aleppo and had lost all his family. He had lots of scars and it seemed he
had a difficult life. He really enjoyed the music we played and sang.
My second guest called Rabiya from Beirut. The doctor told me she was suffering from Dementia.
Sometimes she would talk to me lucidly and other times she seemed to enter into another world. It was a
very positive experience for me looking after these people. I learnt a lot about myself and about different
disabilities. You also form close bonds with the guests and it is sad to say goodbye.
I had an amazing experience and I will be sure to return to the disabled camps in the future.