Palestinian young people with Down syndrome display dolls they have made at the Right to Live Association in Gaza City, Nov. 28, 2019. (Xinhua/Rizek Abdeljawad)
By providing some vocational training, a youth initiative in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza Strip aims to help people with Down syndrome integrate into society.
by Sanaa Kamal
GAZA, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- At a table packed with cloths, scissors and knitting tools, Eman al-Tanani showed to her friends a soft puppet she just made by herself.
"Its name is Sarah," said the 14-year-old Palestinian girl who was diagnosed with Down syndrome, a genetic disorder usually associated with physical growth delays and mild intellectual disability.
Al-Tanani is currently participating in a youth initiative, sponsored by the Association of the Right to Live, a local NGO.
Palestinian teenage girls with Down syndrome make dolls at the Right to Live Association in Gaza City, Nov. 28, 2019. (Xinhua/Rizek Abdeljawad)
Under the initiative, young people with Down syndrome get a chance to learn how to make dolls, which the organization helps them sell at major shopping malls in the Palestinian coastal enclave of Gaza Strip.
"When I make a teddy bear, first of all I cut the cloth, then I stitch the cloth with a needle and threads. After that I stuff cotton into the doll's body and then put features on its face," al-Tanani said.
She already made five puppets by herself. "I'm happy because all of these dolls will be sold in the market," she added.
The initiative aims to help people with Down syndrome integrate into society, by providing them with some vocational training, said Jabir Thabit, a coordinator of the initiative.
"Currently, we have trained 10 people with Down syndrome, ranging from 14 to 30 years old to make puppets," he said.
Palestinian young people with Down syndrome make dolls at the Right to Live Association in Gaza City, Nov. 28, 2019. (Xinhua/Rizek Abdeljawad)
"All children like dolls, so we chose to focus on the doll industry. We want to encourage the people with Down syndrome to do what they love while at the same time benefiting from it financially," said Thabit.
"We plan to include people with other disabilities into our project as well in the future so as to help unleash their creativity and potential," he said.
Fidaa al-Lidawi, another coordinator of the initiative and a trainer of puppet making, said it is important to change the stereotypes towards people with disabilities such as the Down syndrome.
With help from volunteers, a Palestinian girl with Down syndrome makes dolls at the Right to Live Association in Gaza City, Nov. 28, 2019. (Xinhua/Rizek Abdeljawad)
"Our project aims to help these people become able to stand on their own feet, rather than relying on their families," he said.
In the blockaded Gaza Strip with a population of 2 million, there are about 1,800 people with Down syndrome, most of them have joined the rehabilitation programs sponsored by the Association of the Right to Live. ■
