1,100 WONSIE garments donated to Palestinian children!!!
SpecialKids.Company is excited about its recent international contribution to children in need. We were able to facilitate the donation of 1,100 Wonsie bodysuits to children of special needs in Palestine. The chosen charity for the donation was ABCD - Action around Bethlehem Children with Disability.
ABCD is a UK registered charity operating in Palestine/The Occupied Territories and the Gaza Strip. Their vision is to provide medical aid, rehabilitation programs (mental and physical), educational programs and other tailored individual needs regardless of their gender, race, or creed in order to live life to their fullest and to participate in their local communities.
ABCD works with several partners and the three listed below are where the Wonsie garments were distributed.
- BASR - Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation. This partnership goes back to 1985. ABCD have supported community-based programs including providing medical help, daycare and family support directly to where it’s needed. Paediatric specialists assess the children and recommend various rehabilitation programs ranging from surgery and medication through to speech therapy and trauma counselling. These children also face the daily challenges from living under military occupation where access to good nutrition and health services are severely limited.
- Jalazone Refugee Camp, Ramallah. This camp started with 3,500 people and now houses around 15,000 residents and all within the 2 square kilometres, an area that hasn’t changed since its beginnings in 1948. The camp has approximately 140 ambulatory cases, 70 with mental disability, 24 with hearing issues and 150 with visual impairment. Autism has only been recently diagnosed and is on the increase.
- Nour Shams Refugee Camp, Tulkarem. This camp was also started in 1948 with 500 people and now holds over 10,500 people and has approximately 400-500 disabled children and adults in the camp.
BASR have kindly shared a couple of photos of the children wearing them - not an easy task, we were told as the kids were breaking up for school holidays and ran off to show their parents!
Representatives of ABCD: Edmond Shehadeh, Director of BASR; Val Jourdan MBE & ABCD Founder and Trustee; Georgina Mortimer - Chairman ABCD have graciously and individually extended their appreciation to Dr. Barakat and Wonsie UK for such a gesture.
On behalf of Wonsie UK and Wonsie Australia, it has been an honour to be the vehicle to make such a difference to so many children with special needs and their families.
If you would like to know more about ABCD, please go to http://www.abcdbethlehem.org/