Source : OnIslam & News Agencies / 26 Feb 2013

Providing a helping hand to disabled children and their families, an international Muslim relief group is championing a new center in Egypt to help people with disabilities to adapt to life.

"This is a pioneering project that offered free services for children and youth with special needs and their families," Mohamed Al Alfy, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Islamic Relief Egypt, said, AME Info website reported Monday, February 25.

The international relief organization has unveiled a center in the 15 May City, 35km south of Cairo, has opened a center to provide help to disabled children in Egypt.

The center, which costs 40 million pounds, includes an early intervention section; a rehabilitation section; a family support and development section, and a social support and development section.

A sum of $3 million was given from Islamic Relief Australia; around 21 million pounds, to support the new project.

The project was first unveiled on Sunday in an event attended by child rights advocates, and society service activists.

It comes as a new stage of projects sponsored by Islamic Relief Worldwide, the first of which were four small units in the south of Cairo neighborhood of Helwan.

Alfy said the new center aims to ease burdens on families of disabled children.

Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) is an international relief and development organization consisting of a family of 15 aid agencies that aims to alleviate the suffering of the world’s poorest people.

Founded in the UK in 1984 with the stated mission of alleviating suffering, hunger, illiteracy and diseases worldwide regardless of color, race or creed, Islamic relief is now the biggest Muslim international relief and development charity in the West.

Easing Burdens

The new center is seen important for helping easing hardships facing disabled children and their families.

"Together with this a comprehensive assessment of the performance of the children is made in order to settle on appropriate intervention programs to develop the children and hone their skills,"Alfy said.

He said the center would seek expand its services to help reduce long beneficiary waiting lists, and offer more support for families.

He said the center also seeks to improve the education offered children and youth with special needs through several social classes and summer activities.

The sessions also include conversational ones and others for psychological and physiotherapy.

"This happens through special capacity building sessions that seek to strengthen the value of cooperative work inside the children and open the way for the exchange of experiences among them," Alfy said.

Since 2001, Islamic Relief Egypt has been working to help disabled people, particularly children.

Projects include an early intervention center and a rehabilitation center for disabled children as well as seasonal projects at the fasting month of Ramadan and `Eid al-Adha.