Riham Chaddad has been prisoned in her wheelchair for 18 years, deprived of the “typical” rights during childhood until her teen years. When the Syrian crisis started, the family was forced to leave their home and belongings at Asal al Ward and migrate. They moved to Baalbeck six years ago, where they are currently living in a very small house rented for LBP 200,000 per month.
Riham has been to school for only 3 years in her entire life, where she finished grade one and never attended again. The absence of the necessary equipment, means of transportation, and the needed awareness and support made the process very difficult and nearly impossible.
“I can never forget the times when the school principal locked the doors, forgetting me on my wheelchair in the playground. Neither will I forget the times my father drove my wheelchair under the rain so I can make it to class”, stated Riham.
Riham’s first year at school was draining for both her and her parents, the year ended and so did her dreams and hopes of becoming a fashion designer or a teacher one day. For years, Riham’s ambitions and dreams have been limited to the walls of her house. Riham has not written nor read during all these years, and eventually she forgot everything she learned during her first years at school.
Riham learned about the sewing course being provided by LOST nearby, as part of the Competency Based Skills (CBT) program in partnership with UNICEF, through her neighbors who encouraged her and took her to LOST’s BINA center to register. At first, the course was challenging and difficult, Riham could not memorize the sewing steps, details, numbers, and terms. Riham was committed to learning and improving, she showed outstanding effort in class, and even repeated and practiced the lessons at home.
“I joined the sewing class at BINA (Learn for Your Future) center to get my first training for a chance to achieve anything for the first time in my life. When my mother was pregnant with me, she got meningitis, and this has affected her health and mine, and I was born unable to move my lower body due to a damage in my nervous system. My mother’s disease when I was a fetus caused me to suffer ever since I was born until this very moment”, explained Riham.
A few days into the course, Riham became friends with all the participants among which is Najwa Abdul Sater, a 48-year-old woman who had a special mission. Najwa took the initiative to teach Riham and follow up with her. Najwa brought mathematics and English books, and dedicated an hour after the sewing class to teach Riham. Having started with the basics, Riham now reads full sentences, memorizes the multiplication tables of two and three, and solves basic mathematical equations. Moreover, the sewing machine was adjusted by her peers and teacher, who relocated the machine pedal in a way that is more convenient to Riham to press it using her hand.
She says, of learning and being supported by her friend, that, “for the first time, I felt that there are people who would go out of their way to give me things I had never been given”. Najwa stated, “when she started, she was very slow and not confident. Now, she is reading and writing, and she developed her sewing talent as well. I am very proud of her progress”.
Today, Riham is more determined than ever about completing her education, with the help of her supportive tutor Najwa, who said that she is not giving up on Riham. Najwa, the participants, and the sewing teacher, all have seen past Riham’s disabiity, and instead saw her talent, power, and right to learn. Riham’s case transformed the class into a support and cooperation arena.
