Caring for victims of war with passion
Source: The Daily Star, 31-5-2003.
\r\nSummary: Dozens of private organizations assume humanitarian role in absence of state,
\r\nAl-Jarha Association and its Beit al-Jarih branch are among the many groups supporting, tens of thousands of people affected by conflict
\r\nTens of thousands in the country were left maimed and crippled by the civil war and the "Israeli" occupation, and land mines in the South still claim victims, especially children. Dozens of private organizations have appeared to care for these individuals and to compensate for the lack of response from the central government.
\r\nThe Al-Jarha Association (the wounded) is one of these. It is an independent organization but receives support from Hizbullah and concerned governmental and non-governmental organizations.
\r\nSpeaking in Beit al-Jarih (the house of the wounded), a branch of the association, director of training Khodor Ayyoub told The Daily Star that "we aim to rehabilitate the crippled sector of the population by making them productive again, enabling them to contribute fully to their community instead of being a burden on an already exhausted society, on both individual and collective levels."
\r\nHe explained that "from this perspective, this work isn\'t charitable work tainted by feelings of guilt or pity. Unfortunately, when many people meet a handicapped person, they react negatively, thinking of him or her as inferior."
\r\nBeit al-Jarih\'s spokesman, Mahmoud Rahhal, said care for victims of the "Israeli" occupation had another important dimension: "We owe them more than love and respect; we should spare no effort to offer them what they deserve," he said.
\r\nAl-Jarha provides for more than just crippled members of the resistance, especially after the liberation of the South, by working with the Social Affairs Ministry and other local and international nongovernmental organizations who deal with the handicapped.
\r\n"It is an enormous task that no single organization, local or international, can handle alone. It requires the joint efforts of all concerned parties," Khodor explains, adding that "we handle more than 3,150 cases at present in the suburban region alone. Counting all the cases that go through our offices on a daily basis, that figure is doubled, in addition to hundreds of occasional consultations."
\r\nBeit al-Jarih includes a physical therapy unit that has 30 to 40 patients and is attended by five specialized doctors, several technicians and administrative staff. The management pays special attention to manufacturing artificial limbs, Rahhal said, and with the assistance of other organizations, the center has already supplied 59 artificial limbs to youngsters maimed by land mines and 325 parts to fighters wounded in battle.
\r\nIn addition, the center houses several small artifact workshops attached to showrooms displaying the different products made on the premises.
\r\n"We have several exhibitions in Lebanon and abroad that display our products on a permanent basis. The workers take great pleasure in seeing their products sold and used by the public," Rahhal said.
\r\nAyyoub said Beit al-Jarih includes a technical school that teaches computer skills and English language courses using the latest technologies specially designed to aid the impaired and the handicapped. Ayyoub said that "our training does not stop at completing a course; finding a job is our final goal."
\r\nThe school also prepares students for higher education at all levels, with the center having a strong focus on progressive education. Many businesses have shown an interest in offering job placements or additional training, taking into consideration the special needs of handicapped employees in the workplace.
\r\n"Most of our graduates adapt very quickly to their new work environment. To us, this is a mission accomplished," Ayyoub said.
\r\n"Rehabilitation, in our view, includes all walks of life, such as sports, entertainment and other social activities including recreational resorts and facilities," Rahhal said.
\r\nHe added that the association had decided to extend its activities to other areas, and had built a modern resort in the southern village of Dweir, near Nabatieh, on an area of 28,000 square meters. The resort consists of an Olympic swimming pool, chalets, restaurants and other sports facilities specially designed to accommodate the handicapped and their families.
\r\nMarriage is another area of concern to the association.
\r\n"We offer all kinds of help and assistance. We offer facilitated loans, furniture, wedding expenses and any other needs and basic necessities," Rahhal said, citing the example of a quadriplegic who could not have children.
\r\n"The association went to extremes to find a way to let him have children. The cost was not a concern to us even if the chances of success were very slim. Today, he has two healthy children."
\r\nIn the beginning, Al-Jarha concentrated on aiding and rehabilitating those wounded in war.
\r\n"The development process," according to Rahhal, "is seen as building a society capable of enduring difficulties and sufferings of any sort. In other words, a society of resistance where all activities are geared to surviving through economic hardships, sieges or military conflicts."
\r\n"Taking care of the wounded was necessary for sustaining the resistance by enhancing the morale of those ... still on the battlefield. We could not have imagined or tolerated a scenario in which the families of the martyred or injured are left without care or attention; it would have simply meant we were not ready for the resistance in the first place," Rahhal explained.
\r\nNonetheless, the mission has been widened to deal with the problem of the handicapped in Lebanese society.\r\n
