Community Based Rehabilitation
Every child who comes to the Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) center in Jordan brings their own unique gifts, personality, and life to our work. As much as we want to grow their potential in areas where they experience challenges, we also want to encourage their potential in the areas where they express joy and talent.
Imani first came to our center in 2018 as a young teenage girl with a hearing disability, with the goal of improving her speech. However, we soon discovered that she had a natural talent and love for art. Her notebook was filled with pencil sketches and coloured drawings. One of the Operation Mercy staff members also shares a love of art, and so from the beginning it was decided that they would have one session every couple of weeks to develop Imani’s skills in both drawing and painting. Over the months, Imani learned and practised mixing colours, as well as how to paint skies and other scenes from nature—often the two of them sitting side by side, painting together at the center.
Now, several years later, Imani is a student at the University of Jordan, studying art. Recently, she reached out to us, asking if there was something she could do at the center while on a break between semesters. In fact, we had yet to finish the murals on the outer walls of the center facing the village street. And so, once again, Imani and the CBR team member mixed colours together and painted. This time, though, they painted words—sharing colour and hopeful messages with the community.
For all of us, it was encouraging to see this quiet teen now turned into a confident and talkative university student. It was a reminder that as we walk through small steps of growth with our students, these small steps can lead to a more hopeful future for them.
A Community United for Mubariz
As part of our partner’s project on accessibility, the team launched a district-wide assessment in Rudaki. Here they met a teacher who was homeschooling a 9-year-old boy named Mubariz,
Colours of Hope
A new initiative started at the beginning of the year with the aim of training a group of teenage boys with disabilities in practical skills. By learning to repair wheelchairs,
Nurturing a Talent
Every child who comes to the Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) center in Jordan brings their own unique gifts, personality, and life to our work. As much as we want to grow their potential in areas where they experience challenges,
Partnerships for Good
He now has a stable home for him and his family and is walking on his “new” foot.
Don’t Give Up, There Is Still Hope
After a year of working with her, she is now able to feed herself, shower independently and help with cleaning around the house! When we first started working with her,
Sing Hello
“Fahid, it is your turn to sing!” Our volunteers encourage and then, with a little bit of prompting, Fahid begins to sing for us.
Perseverance Brings Progress
Now Rustam can express himself, he is socializing with his peers, and he is participating in the cultural events of the organization. Rustam is ready to go to school!
Mothers’ Meeting
Many mothers of children with disabilities live in deep isolation.
Opening Doors to Equality
Children with disabilities (CWD) are being given the chance to learn at mainstream schools thanks to one of our partner organisations in Tajikistan.
School accessibility is one of the most important components of providing inclusive education and promotion of the rights of children with disabilities.
Hope Starts in the Small Things
Most importantly, hope is present for Hamidjon because he has a loving mother, who, through our project, is able to experience support and acceptance, receive counselling and process her grief.
Chairs for Children
Positioning and proper support for children with disabilities is important for their development
Promoting Inclusion
An annual conference for mainstream school teachers and school transition support services helped promote inclusion in local communities.
Amina, a young girl with speech and cognitive delays,
New Horizons
The view of the horizon from the CBR window is changing. As new life sprouts up and lurches forward around the CBR Center and throughout the villages,
Schooling Requires Cooperation
Adnan loves school. His mother smiles with pride and says to the Operation Mercy team, “Every day he wants to go to school.” Naturally gifted with a friendly and bold personality,
Partnership for Change
Both organizations continue to work in partnership with the mom and her son and we are seeing positive changes in their lives.
Never too late to learn!
With the support and help from the staff I learnt how to take care of a child with disability.
Partnership Opens the Way to School
There are many barriers for a child with disability to access education in Tajikistan. Sometimes this barrier is seen in the attitudes of people that think children with disabilities don’t belong in school or should be kept separate from other children.
Truth Boost
In spring 2023 we partnered with another NGO. Their local staff were running a centre in the old city for children with learning disabilities.
They wanted to integrate children with physical disabilities and asked our physical therapist (PT) and our occupational therapist (OT) to work specifically with these children.
We Learn Together to Improve Our Lives!
Nazira is a mother of a child with disability, and a new staff of our partner organization. She participated in a training on early intervention for children with hearing and visual impairments.
Showing a New Way
The staff helped Aygul and her colleagues better understand the effects of CP on the children and ways to increase the children’s mobility.