The Philantrophic Association for Disabled Care (PADC) is a charitable institution working with disabled children in South Lebanon. In their rehabilitation centre in the southern town of Nabatiyah, children receive rehabilitative care including speech therapy, physiotherapy, psycho-motor training and occupational therapy. In one of their reports, a senior PADC staff member wrote: "Having these types of therapy is not merely a medical treatment; rather it is a social intervention that would not only change the life of the patient but also that of his family. Even the community where he lives will change as it will become more familiar with the existence of rehabilitation services and their capacities in changing people's lives." When the hidden potential of a disabled person is brought to light with the help of therapy, he will no longer be regarded as an "un-normal" person who is a burden to society and has nothing to contribute.

However, treatment to rehabilitate a disabled person is often long-term and very expensive. Many parents who bring their severely disabled child to PADC's centre are overjoyed to hear that treatment is possible and the child will become better, but then almost despair when they hear about the cost. Since February 2007, LFT provides part of the treatment cost of 94 girls and boys with severe disabilities. They all come from very poor families who would not be able to pay for their child's treatment without assistance.

The table below shows the children's names, the kind of treatment they received, full cost of treatment and LFT assistance for each child for the month of June 2008:

CLICK TO VIEW FULL LIST

Let us now explore how the treatment they received changed the lives of three of these children:

Batoul A Z:

Batoul is four years old and was brain-damaged during birth. When she came to PADC's center in 2006, she was unable to move. After two years of continuous treatment made possible by LFT's financial support, Batoul can now:

• Sit alone without holding on to anyone.
• Crawl on hands and knees.
• Walk alone with the assistance of a walker.
• Pick up and hold objects.
• Eat without assistance
• Spell a few simple words
• Differentiate between the different sounds such as happy and sad music and respond to them for instance either by laughing and dancing or crying.

The person responsible for Batoul's treatment wrote:

"The therapy that Battoul received at PADC in partnership with LFT did not only change Batoul's physical abilities but had a much deeper effect on her and on her family as whole. Batoul started to feel more self -confident and more able to communicate and socialize with others, better yet, her mother's life also improved. As her daughter is becoming more independent in her life she doesn't need her to be around as often as she did before. If the therapy continues and Batoul becomes more and more independent, her mother, who is a single parent, could work and would thus be able to support herself and her daughter instead of having to rely on the assistance of relatives."

Hassan Mehdi A H:

Hassan, who is known in the PADC centre as "Hassan the sturdy" is a 6-year-old boy from the southern village of Habboush who suffers from severe spastic cerebral palsy. He is the last of four children. His father, a landless agricultural labourer, was hard-pressed financially to provide for his family and pay for Hassan's treatment. However, the family was determined not to give up and to do everything to make Hassan get better.

Despite continuous treatment, Hassan is still unable to do many things due to his spastic condition, which is slow in responding to treatment. However, he is now able to:

• Sit alone without help.
• Slightly move his legs.
• Speak few words.
• Try to stand-up, though he is still unable to do so alone

The photo shows Hassan's happiness when taking his first independent steps with the aid of a walker:

Hassan will need long-term diversified treatment in order to achieve some independence.

The person in charge of Hassan's treatment describes its effect on the whole family: "The help that was given to Hassan affected the lives of six persons: Hassan became more confident and has an elevated self-esteem, his father isn't anymore under pressure of not being a good father and is able to support his family better, the life of his spouse has improved and the family is not in danger of disability or sickness due to impoverishment."

Maribel I A:

Three-year-old Maribel, who comes from the village of Abu Kamha in the Hasbaya region of southern Lebanon, was born with muscular spasms. Due to the remoteness of her village, her condition was only diagnosed when she was 15 months old. She applied to the PADC centre when she was two. After one year of regular physiotherapy, PADC staff as well as Maribel's family and Maribel herself are delighted with her progress: Maribel is now able to:

• 1. Sit alone.
• 2. Crawl
• 3. Stand alone
• 4. Walk with small steps (just recently).

The photo shows Maribel taking her first hesitant steps alone:

Due to the efforts of PADC's staff, the persistence of her parents who travel for two hours each way several times a week in order to attend Maribel's physiotherapy sessions, and due to LFT's financial support, Maribel will grow up to be almost as capable as her healthy brother.

Dear LFT donors: One of the most difficult of divine trials is to have a handicapped child. Please, help these children to develop their full potential and enable their families to take good care of them! On average, 25 GBP will enable a child to receive treatment for a month.

Give As You Earn:

• This is the UK's largest payroll giving scheme and is administered by CAF (Charities Aid Foundation). Any employee or pensioner paid under PAYE can donate to a charitable organization in the UK, tax free. The Trust can receive GAYE donations, and our reference number is GYE 458449.

Islamic Humanitarian Service:

• The Trust has entered into an agreement with Islamic Humanitarian Service in Ontario to enable Canadian Citizens to donate to the Trust via a local Charity at ZERO% admin cost. Please contact us for further information. We sincerely thank I.H.S. ihs@primus.ca

Comfort Aid International:

• The Trust has entered into an agreement with Comfort Aid International in Texas to enable United States of America Citizens to donate to the Trust via a local Charity at ZERO% admin cost. Please contact us for further information. We sincerely thank Comfort Aid International. info@comfortaid.org

Ijaza: 

• The Lady Fatemah Trust has been granted Ijaaza by Ayatollah al-Uzma Seyed Ali Seestani to collect Khums money. Please remember we operate on the basis of zero% administration costs, so every penny you give goes directly to those in need. Click to view Ijaza

To make a regular donation by standing order, please download a mandate from the website or contact us and we will send one to you. http://www.ladyfatemahtrust.org/donate.php . You can make a donation by using our secure on-line payment facility at https://secure.webstar.co.uk/lft/donate.php. 

Please remember that completing a Gift Aid form substantially boosts your donation by 28% if you are a UK taxpayer.

Thank you, as always for all your generosity and support without which our work would not be possible.

Yours sincerely,

Amirali G. Karim

Chairman of the Board of Trustees

info@ladyfatemahtrust.org

http://www.ladyfatemahtrust.org/

Tel: +44 (0) 7798 76 10 20  

Tel +44 (0) 1494 762 063, Email info@ladyfatemahtrust.org, Fax +44 (0) 1494 762 286,
Mobile +44 (0) 7798 76 10 20, Fax +44 (0) 7798 76 90 30
Website: http://www.ladyfatemahtrust.org/