- Title: LEBANON: NGO brings education to children in hospital
- Date: 27th August 2013
- Summary: BEIRUT, LEBANON (AUGUST 23, 2013) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF ST. GEORGE'S HOSPITAL IN BEIRUT BANNER READING (in French): 'SAINT GEORGE'S HOSPITAL - UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL CENTER' NURSING STATION IN THE HOSPITAL DOCTORS AND NURSES STANDING AT HOSPITAL RECEPTION EXTERIOR OF ROOM WITH PEOPLE INSIDE TEACHER FROM MYSCHOOLPULSE ASSOCIATION TEACHING YOUNG GIRL IN HOSPITAL CLOSE OF YOUNG GIRL MORE OF GIRL STUDYING WITH TEACHER (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) VOLUNTEER IN MYSCHOOLPULSE, LARA ABBOUD HAGE, SAYING: "Myschoolpulse is an NGO founded in 2010, we got the license in June 2010. Its goal is to provide access to education in all hospitals in Lebanon. It was founded on the first anniversary of Paul Yared's death, after he was diagnosed with bone cancer. He died at the age of 12, so his mother Mireille Nassif, decided to start this organisation along with her niece, Danielle Tiab. When Paul was sick, they felt how important it was to keep life normal (for sick children) during their treatment." VARIOUS OF GIRL STUDYING WITH TEACHER CLOSE OF SCREEN IN HOSPITAL VARIOUS OF POSTER IN HOSPITAL (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) VOLUNTEER IN MYSCHOOLPULSE, LARA ABBOUD HAGE, SAYING: "We started our first programme with a hospital in 2010 and now we are present in four different hospitals in Lebanon, and we hope to expand our reach every year. Up to now we have provided 5,000 hours of education for 160 children aged between 5 and 18, and all our teachers are experts." HOSPITAL CORRIDOR TEACHER WITH ANOTHER GIRL IN HOSPITAL ROOM VARIOUS OF GIRL STUDYING WITH TEACHER VARIOUS OF BOOK MORE OF GIRL STUDYING WITH TEACHER (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) TEACHER, GRACE WEHBE, SAYING: "I come here to educate children, I teach them the lessons that they miss in school because, as you know, they are under treatment, they come to the hospital for their treatment. I feel so happy when I come here because I help them and it is inspiring, I feel that I am doing something valuable. I feel that I am doing something from my heart that I love a lot, and they always respond very well. I always read stories for them and we work on lessons they miss at school, such as Mathematics and English." NURSES AT HOSPITAL RECEPTION CLOSE OF NURSE LOOKING AT COMPUTER SCREEN VARIOUS OF TWO CHILDREN SITTING ON HOSPITAL BED AND LOOKING AT MOBILE PHONE VARIOUS OF LITTLE BOY DANCING TO MUSIC
- Embargoed: 11th September 2013 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Lebanon
- Country: Lebanon
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA95NYPIQ4E8SIULXJNVSYK8YEC
- Story Text: For many young children who face life-threatening illnesses which require constant or lengthy hospital treatments, access to education becomes a distant concern. Many who survive their sickness then face the daunting prospect of returning to school after months away and with gaps in their study.
Lebanese non-governmental organisation Myschoolpulse aims to break that cycle and help reintegrate young children in hospital back into school.
Founded by Mireille Nassif and her niece Danielle Tiab, Myschoolpulse was launched in 2010 and aims to provide access to education for children receiving cancer treatment and other illnesses who would not otherwise have such resources.
Nassif created the NGO a year after her 12-year old son Paul Yared died in 2009 after being diagnosed with bone cancer the previous year. Her personal experience of having a young child who underwent intensive treatment for over a year pushed her to create an avenue for children with serious illnesses and those in recovery to go back to their studies and connect with friendship groups.
Lara Abboud Hage, a volunteer at the organisation, said the NGO and Mireille Nassif wanted to create a sense of "academic normalcy" for the sick children by supporting them with classes and costs of private tutorships.
"Myschoolpulse is an NGO founded in 2010, we got the license in June 2010. Its goal is to provide access to education in all hospitals in Lebanon. It was founded on the first anniversary of Paul Yared's death, after he was diagnosed with bone cancer. He died at the age of 12, so his mother Mireille Nassif, decided to start this organisation along with her niece, Danielle Tiab. When Paul was sick, they felt how important it was to keep life normal (for sick children) during their treatment," Hage told Reuters Television.
The NGO currently operates in four hospitals across Lebanon and is actively teaching around 60 children. It is also keen to expand into other medical centres, according to Hage.
"We started our first programme with a hospital in 2010 and now we are present in four different hospitals in Lebanon, and we hope to expand our reach every year. Up to now we have provided 5,000 hours of education for 160 children aged between 5 and 18, and all our teachers are experts," said Hage.
Qualified teachers who volunteer for the NGO follow the Lebanese curriculum and liaise with the children's schools to ensure they are learning the same material as their classmates. If the school of a child is undergoing official examinations, the NGO works in collaboration with the Ministry of Education to ensure their student is offered an opportunity to take part.
"I come here to educate children, I teach them the lessons that they miss in school because, as you know, they are under treatment, they come to the hospital for their treatment," said Grace Wehde, who volunteers to teach in Beirut's St George's hospital.
"I feel so happy when I come here because I help them and it is inspiring, I feel that I am doing something valuable. I feel that I am doing something from my heart that I love a lot, and they always respond very well. I always read stories for them and we work on lessons they miss at school, such as Mathematics and English," she added.
According to the organisation, around 250 children are diagnosed with cancer every year in Lebanon, and over 75 percent survive the illness and eventually return to school.
The NGO is primarily funded through private donations and annual fund-raising events, which include a 5-kilometre family run that draws over a thousand runners consisting of the children the NGO works with, along with their parents and supporters. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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