JEDDAH: The Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry has urged businessmen to support organizations working to help disabled children become active members of society.
JCCI Secretary-General Mustapha Ahmed Kamal Sabri made the call during a visit to the Amal Rehabilitation Center in Jeddah on Saturday.
During his visit, Sabri promised to buy plants grown by disabled children in addition to other products produced by them. “This is to encourage them to work, produce and blend into society, which they are an integral part of,” he said, calling for the codification of laws and regulations that would preserve the rights of thousands of disabled people in the Kingdom.
“Some of those who are disabled are neglected by society, something that aggravates their predicament and makes them lose their productive energies and capabilities, which could help them and their families,” he said.
He warned that neglecting the disabled would make them dependent on others throughout their lives, something that adversely affects the economic position of families and the Kingdom in general.
Dr. Wasif Kabli, chairman of the center’s board of directors, said 75 percent of disabled people helped at the center were Saudis. He said the center was able to arrange employment for 20 disabled people in private companies and hotels.
“Disabled children have sufficient physiological potentials which should be understood and correctly employed through training and rehabilitation,” he said. The center, established in 1990, helps people with special needs, preparing them for the labor market.
It currently provides care to more than 100 Saudi and expatriate disabled individuals.
