What many people fail to realize about those with special needs is that when a disability occurs in a person (particularly in the case of cognitive ones), more often than not, some other ability is enhanced. These ‘enhancements’ sometimes result in genius.
JEDDAH: With the Kingdom home to a large population of children with mild to serious disabilities, providing means of education for such children on the national level has remained a major concern for some time.
There are an estimated 125,000 disabled children in Jeddah alone, of whom around 4,000 are studying. The education provided by centers that specialize in helping children with special needs is unsatisfactory, primarily due to a lack of professionals.
In this blog post, I am particularly proud to be able to introduce you to a lady who has, and continues to inspire me and countless others. Her non-stop positive attitude is infectious and the sheer energy, determination, drive and passion she draws upon and imparts to those around her makes me wonder whether she might just be super-human. Uzma Raheem is a force of nature, and a shining source of support and hope to many families here in Jeddah. Jeddah Blog writer Anousha Vakani sat down with Uzma earlier this month to chat with her about the inception and growth of the Hope Center, its success stories and the challenges she faces.
In this blog post, I am particularly proud to be able to introduce you to a lady who has, and continues to inspire me and countless others. Her non-stop positive attitude is infectious and the sheer energy, determination, drive and passion she draws upon and imparts to those around her makes me wonder whether she might just be super-human. Uzma Raheem is a force of nature, and a shining source of support and hope to many families here in Jeddah. Jeddah Blog writer Anousha Vakani sat down with Uzma earlier this month to chat with her about the inception and growth of the Hope Center, its success stories and the challenges she faces.
Hope is a center for children with special needs, founded by Uzma Raheem that provides a nourishing environment for them to develop their skills and learn, regardless of their nationalities and backgrounds.
Raheem established Hope 15 years ago when there was a limited number of centers dealing with special needs.
“I was working at a center but not satisfied with their system and when I went to the authorities they turned down my suggestions. So I decided to establish my own center; I began working out of my home, taking over two rooms. At first, it was initially only a summer program, but afterward with the encouragement of my parents, I rented the apartment in front of our house and set to work,” said Raheem.
WHEN Uzma Raheem graduated in Turkey with a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology, she had no idea that her destiny was to work with children with exceptional needs – her speciality was working with adult schizophrenics. She is from India but she came to Saudi Arabia as an infant with her parents and attended the International Indian School. “Saudi Arabia is home to me – I am not comfortable anywhere else.”