Damascus-SANA
Children from Down Syndrome Associations and Centers joined today in entertainment, musical and educational activities at the “You are my friend” festival, which is organized by the Ataa volunteer team in cooperation with the Ministries of Social Affairs, Labor, Education and Tourism at the Sheraton Hotel in Damascus.
The two-day festival, according to its organizers, aims to shed light on children with Down syndrome and their abilities, discover their talents and skills, and give them an opportunity to express their feelings, coinciding with the International Day of the Syndrome, which falls on March 21 annually.
Director of Ataa Volunteer Team Hani Al-Asali explained in a statement to SANA that the number of participants in the festival is 300 children from associations, centers and schools concerned with Down syndrome, indicating that the team targets different segments with its activities such as people with mental and physical disabilities, the elderly and orphans, and it also seeks to spread the culture of volunteer work among young people from Through initiatives, rehabilitation and training in this field.
From the Amal Al-Ghad Association, the Director of the Training and Rehabilitation Department, Heba Raad, stated that the activity is important to enhance the children’s sense that they are active and present in the community, and there are those who care about them and their happiness, pointing out that the association provides its services to about 100 boys and girls.
The director of the Humam Association, Sabah Al-Dakhil, in turn, pointed out the importance of shedding light on children with Down syndrome, especially with regard to psychological support for them and their families.
The Goodwill Ambassador for Children in Syria, Rama Zureik, indicated that these activities contribute to unifying the efforts of the various associations working with Down Children who have abilities that can be greatly benefited in society.
A number of parents expressed their happiness with the festival, where Hasna Khabbaz pointed out that these activities reflect positively on the psychological state of the children and make them feel better, while Afifa Ismail saw that these events allow more interaction for children with the environment in which they live, wishing that there would be a greater number of activities that teach children manual professions. to empower them even more in the future.
The Ataa Volunteer Team is a non-profit youth initiative that was launched on 6-16-2016 and is specialized in the field of relief and development volunteer work.
Muhannad Suleiman
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