“We decide to use a different public venue every year so that people passing by can see the kids expressing themselves through the universal language of art and interact with them,” said the Help Center’s Public Relations Manager Reem Wafai. “It’s a way of raising awareness about disabilities, breaking fears and stereotypes and integrating people by appealing directly to the heart.”
Founded 25 years ago with the funds of the “Ahmad Juffali Foundation,” the Help Center represents to date one of the most renowned private, philanthropic and non-profit organizations in the Kingdom.
“My daughter, Maha, and I decided to make the best out of our studies in psychology and sociology by addressing an issue that 30 years ago represented a total taboo in Saudi Arabia,” said Madame Suad Husseini Juffali. “No visible studies and statistics nor institutions or schools to host kids with mental disabilities and train teachers existed at that time,” she added.
Since then, the organization grew by word of mouth. Today, Juffali's well-equipped center, which hosts 350 children and 171 educators and therapists, along with a dozen other organizations, including Maharat Center, Jeddah Center for special needs, Badghish Center for Care and Rehabilitation, The Care & Affection Center and The Ideal Center, form an efficient network where hospitals and schools direct parents in need.
According to Juffali, an early intervention is necessary to help kids develop their talents but also their independence, individuality and sense of self-assurance. Followed by specialists from the age of one, teenagers are given a chance to discover their skills, find a job and keep contacts with their friends through the Dirat Ajdadi sports and recreation club for which Juffali donated her own house in Sharafia in 2007.
Private centers aren't left alone in their effort to tackle the issue of mental disability. The government has in fact recently used the Saudization program as a means to encourage the employment of disabled people, thus equalizing the employment of a disabled person to four Saudis.
"We used to send a lot of employment requests for our kids to companies, but it was hard to get a positive reply,” explained Najjah Jasser, an educator at the Help Center. “Since the new government law has been issued, the tendency completely reversed: employers are running after us. To date, we have 30 requests pending.”
Jasser explained how students are encouraged to enhance their skills and get trained before getting to the new working environment, which can be a factory or the administrative sector of a school, company or hospital, according to the specific characteristics of the student.
One issue the center is facing now is in regards to certain families' unwillingness to renounce to the social package of SR 2,800 they get from the government for their disabled and unemployed child. The problem affects mostly female students that require transportation and are grudgingly left alone by conservative families.
Although the situation needs to be improved and studies implemented, there has been an important evolvement in the level of awareness about mental disability in the Kingdom. According to Wafai, most parents aren't ashamed anymore of their children’s conditions and comprehend the psychological relevance for them to find a place in society. "Whenever we have an event, the entire family comes along with friends and neighbors. This was something impossible to see 30 years ago.”
When starting her job at the Help Center, Wafai was a little anxious at the idea of working in an environment she knew little about. "My embarrassment derived from being influenced by the many misconceptions surrounding the issue. Now, I'm not only aware that we shouldn't feel pity for these extremely dignified, talented and happy kids, but I’m also convinced that we should learn from them how to live more in the present, drop our masks and enjoy simple moments in life."
