RIYADH: The sight of a hemiplegic person sitting in a wheelchair on a street corner in south Riyadh collecting donations from passersby makes people wonder what charity organizations are doing.
The 18-year-old, who is called Khalifa, holds a feeding bottle in his right hand. His mother, Umm Khalifa, stands besides him holding a black umbrella over his head to protect him from the hot sun.
Khalifa is unable to respond to questions, staring emptily into the distance when asked a question. His mother said he is unable to speak or hear and that he suffers from a severe form of hemiplegia that has affected his brain and rendered his right side immobile. He also suffers from a congenital digestive deficiency, which only allows him to consume easily digestible milk or fruit juice.
When asked why she brings her sick son on to the streets in such heat, Umm Khalifa said she has no other option and that it is next to impossible for a woman like her to pass the bureaucracy to qualify for help from charity organizations and government departments.
“When I approached the Social Welfare Department for assistance for my son, officials asked me to produce an inheritance certificate issued by a court of law. But when I applied for the certificate, the court asked for four witnesses to come to court. I could not bring all of the witnesses to court at the same time as they are all working people, something that the court did not like,” she said,
“So I had to give up the idea of any help from the Social Welfare Department and instead come here and seek for help from kindhearted people,” the woman said in a frustrated voice.
She said that she was, however, successful in getting help from the Disabled Children’s Society in Riyadh. She added that the money her husband makes each month as a school bus driver is not enough to meet the high costs associated with providing special help to her son.
