Abdullah Al-Najjar, a 15-year-old displaced boy, uses a small, wood and iron wagon to move around and in front his house in Salqin town in northwestern dlib province, because of his disability that was the result of brain tissue damage at birth.
Abdullah's father, Ali Al-Najjar, said that his eldest son was born with cerebral palsy due to a consanguineous marriage, as well as osteoporosis that also affected his two younger brothers.
Since the beginning of the war, Ali had been displaced with his family and disabled children, fleeing the regime’s oppression and the Kurdish militias to Idlib countryside.
Abdullah is unable to move or stand on his own, so he uses the wagon his uncle made him using a plate of iron and wood, metal wheels, and a handlebar, to move around the house and to ran errands nearby.
Activist Ayham Bayoush from the “SY24” agency said that the father worked as a blacksmith and repaired motorcycles, but due to the displacement and lack of tools, Abdullah’s uncle made him the wagon, which was inspired by a children’s toy, and sent it to him 7 years ago.
According to Bayoush, despite his severe disability, Abdullah is a lively person who has adapted to his disadvantaged situation. However, he faces several difficulties in taking care of his needs inside and outside the house.
The three brothers are accustomed to using the wagon, as they are all unable to stand or sit due to osteoporosis. The Molham Volunteering Team provided Abdullah with a powered wheelchair, but his two brothers still need two more.
The children's suffering, however, is not limited to wheelchairs. Statistics from the World Health Organization indicate that 2.3 to 3.3 million forcibly displaced people in the world are people with disabilities, one third of them children, with a large number of them suffering from neglect within their communities. They are particularly vulnerable to physical, sexual and emotional abuse, and often suffer from social isolation and face the risk of abandonment, as well as increased health risks because of a lack of access to sanitation and hygiene services.
Zaman Al Wasl
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