“The treatment was too expensive: she couldn’t walk anymore”
Bayan, originally from Aleppo, Syria, has cerebral palsy. Thanks to HI, she is receiving rehabilitation care for first the time in her life.
Bayan attends a speech therapy session at the Mousawat rehabilitation centre | © Oriane van den Broeck / HI
Bayan, 13, is the eldest of five children. She has cerebral palsy like two of her brothers. The family fled the war in Syria two years ago and now live in the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon.
Access to rehabilitation
HI covers the cost of the children's rehabilitation sessions. The family could not afford this sort of care before.
"Physiotherapy is the most important thing for my children. Without it, their condition will get worse and worse. It’s the first time Bayan’s ever had this type of treatment. We couldn't afford the sessions. Unfortunately, she’ll never walk again now," says Bayan's mother Aisha. The whole team at the rehabilitation centre is involved in caring for the three children and each is showing gradual signs of improvement.
Supporting the children and their parents
Bayan's mother and her three children who all have cerebral palsy benefit from psychotherapy sessions. A self-help group has also been set up to give mothers the chance to talk through the challenges they face every day.
