Improving the daily lives of displaced families
Salem and his family were displaced in 2011. Three of his children suffer from various disabilities and require special care which can be difficult to find in Libya. Handicap International intervened to provide equipment adapted to the disabilities of Salem’s children.
Salem with his four children and two HI staff members | Handicap International
Salem and his family are Libyan and now live in the Tripoli area. Salem found work in the trade sector and his wife is a teacher. They have three boys and one girl. Three of them have different mobility impairments.
Malik and Sind suffer from cerebral palsy, affecting their mobility and independence in their daily lives. As for Sajida, she suffers from deformities of her bones and joints affecting her ability to walk and maintain her balance.
Handicap International's mobile outreach teams met Salem and his family last May through one of the association’s focal points in an IDP camp in Tripoli. The HI team provided the family with physiotherapy, psychosocial support, and equipment for the three children including wheelchairs, toilet seats and walkers. The association also informed the family of health centers where they could get the care necessary for the health of their children.
“Providing specific equipment and information on accessible services is a valuable help for any child or adult with disabilities, but also for the families, first and foremost the caregivers. Families, whether displaced or refugees, who have fled violence in a hurry often take minimum belongings, and find themselves in a totally new environment, and need some support to care for a child or a disabled adult. The mobile teams move about to identify families in difficulty and to provide this help” explains Cat Smith, head of the Libyan programs.
Since December 2016, Handicap International has set up mobile teams to meet displaced persons and refugees in Tripoli and its periphery to identify vulnerable persons including people with disabilities, to provide, where necessary, the equipment they need (wheelchairs, crutches ...) provide rehabilitation or psychological assistance, or refer them to existing services. In parallel, Handicap International provides technical support to 11 health centers. Since December 2016, Handicap International has assessed and provided assistance to 1,850 beneficiaries.
