- Title: IRAN: Baghdad centre supports Down's syndrome children to lead independent lives
- Date: 13th May 2013
- Summary: RESENDING TO CORRECT NAME SPELLING FROM 'HABITO' (INCORRECT) TO 'HIBATO' (CORRECT) BAGHDAD, IRAQ (RECENT) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF THE HIBATO ALLAH SCHOOL SIGN ON BUILDING READING (Arabic and English): "HIBATO ALLAH SCHOOL" SIGN READING: (Arabic): "HIBATO ALLAH CENTRE FOR DOWN'S SYNDROME" VARIOUS OF CHILDREN WITH DOWN'S SYNDROME SITTING AROUND TABLE WITH THEIR TEACHER GIRL WITH DOWN'S SYNDROME SITTING AT TABLE TEACHER READING TO CHILDREN / TEACHER PLACES BOOK TO READ IN FRONT OF GIRL SITTING AT TABLE HEADMISTRESS, SAHIRA ABDULLATEEF MUSTAFA, SITTING AT DESK IN HER OFFICE SIGN ON DESK READING (Arabic): "HEADMISTRESS SAHIRA ABDULLATEEF MUSTAFA" (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEADMISTRESS, SAHIRA ABDULLATEEF MUSTAFA, SAYING: "I started the centre because I had a daughter with Down's syndrome. She was born in 1983 and, when she was 11 months old, I went abroad and, being an English teacher with a child who had this condition, my five years in England were of great benefit to me. I tried to benefit from all the experiences in this field in Britain, and I joined the international Down's Syndrome Foundation and, at their offices, I read a lot around the issue and I also worked as a volunteer teacher in my daughter's school in order to learn more about the lives of such children in school." FRAMED PHOTOGRAPH OF SAHIRA ABDULLATEEF MUSTAFA'S DAUGHTER HIBA ON HER DESK (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEADMISTRESS, SAHIRA ABDULLATEEF MUSTAFA, SAYING: "When we came back, my child was at a level where she could compose sentences in English, and so I opened a private centre at my house as I had an empty apartment. So, the centre started in October 1993 with Hiba and three other children. Definitely, the educational goal is to improve their condition from mentally disabled children to children who can read and write, perform all tasks, and help them lead independent lives, instead of having to depend on their sisters and brothers in the future, after the death of their parents." VARIOUS OF CHILDREN WATCHING TELEVISION WITH THEIR TEACHER TEACHER WITH A BOY READING NUMBERS FROM A BOOK (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEADMISTRESS, SAHIRA ABDULLATEEF MUSTAFA, SAYING: "We make all the teaching aids and tools and I buy all the furniture. I have everything and I do not need to ask for anything for myself. I only ask for salaries for the children. They should be given salaries. They are different to other children. They work very hard to improve their condition. A disabled child is the responsibility of society. Society has to reward a child when it sees that he is trying to improve his condition." VARIOUS OF CHILDREN SITTING AROUND TABLE WITH THEIR TEACHER GIRL RECITING DAYS OF THE WEEK IN ENGLISH A GIRL SITTING AT TABLE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) STUDENT ABDUL HUSSEIN SAYING: "Society has treated these children unfairly and so I ask for, one, salaries for them, two, their right to live, three, equality with others, four, education, and five, university education." CHILDREN SITTING AROUND TABLE CHILDREN LAUGHING AND CLAPPING
- Embargoed: 28th May 2013 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Iraq
- Country: Iraq
- Topics: Health
- Reuters ID: LVA6OMAEKU0CLHD5GGYEV5ERS8C9
- Story Text: The mother of a girl with Down's syndrome who died in 2007 manages a children's centre in Baghdad that she opened in her daughter's name.
The Hibato Allah Centre in Baghdad provides all the services that any typical Iraqi school provides.
Classrooms at the children's centre are lined with desks and are fully equipped with books and toys.
But the students all have Down's syndrome, a condition caused by a genetic defect, and the centre supports them to lead independent lives.
Sahira Abdullateef Mustafa, whose daughter Hiba had Down's syndrome, created the non-profit centre in 1993 in the Iraqi capital's Yarmouk neighbourhood.
The centre is named after Hiba who died in 2007 from a heart defect when she was just 24-years-old.
Mustafa, a retired English teacher, said her daughter's condition had prompted her to find out all she could about Down's.
"I started the centre because I had a daughter with Down's syndrome. She was born in 1983 and, when she was 11 months old, I went abroad and, being an English teacher with a child who had this condition, my five years in England were of great benefit to me. I tried to benefit from all the experiences in this field in Britain, and I joined the international Down's Syndrome Foundation and, at their offices, I read a lot around the issue and I also worked as a volunteer teacher in my daughter's school in order to learn more about the lives of such children in school," said Mustafa, who runs the centre.
Down's syndrome is the most common genetic cause of learning disability, occurring in one out of 700 live births worldwide.
In many countries, children with Down's syndrome attend mainstream schools and go on to live semi-independent adult lives.
Mustafa said that after returning to Iraq from England, her daughter's performance had greatly improved, prompting her to open the centre in 1993.
"When we came back, my child was at a level where she could compose sentences in English, and so I opened a private centre at my house as I had an empty apartment. So, the centre started in October 1993 with Hiba and three other children. Definitely, the educational goal is to improve their condition from mentally disabled children to children who can read and write, perform all tasks, and help them lead independent lives, instead of having to depend on their sisters and brothers in the future, after the death of their parents," she said.
Mustafa said the number of children using the centre had grown from 25 in 1996 to 150 by 2002, although that figure has dropped to just 60 since the
2003 U.S.-led invasion of the country. Mustafa blames the sectarian strife in the city for making it harder for children to travel safely to the centre.
In addition to classes in reading, mathematics, handwriting, computer skills and English, children are also taught skills like how to take a shower, take a bus and cross the street.
Mustafa said each child was entitled to receive 50,000 Iraqi dinars (43 USD) a month from the government under Iraq's social security system, but many do not see this money, she said.
"We make all the teaching aids and tools and I buy all the furniture. I have everything and I do not need to ask for anything for myself. I only ask for salaries for the children. They should be given salaries. They are different to other children. They work very hard to improve their condition. A disabled child is the responsibility of society. Society has to reward a child when it sees that he is trying to improve his condition," she said.
Staffed by female teachers, the centre offers a wide range of activities for children of all ages in return for a fee of 25,000 Iraqi dinars a month (20 U.S. dollars).
Mustafa also founded the Iraqi Down's Syndrome Association in 1999 to increase awareness of the challenges faced by children with the condition and their families. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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