Friends of the Disabled Association

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Our Story

Friends of the Disabled Association (FDA) is a lay-community, non-profit, and independent association. It does not partake in any political organization. It was conceived in 1978 by a group of concerned parents whose children have different disabilities, together with prominent society members. Since its conception, the FDA mission and goals are centered to foster integration in the society at large. The referral center- El Meshref will provide services for a total of 152 regular and boarding students, and 500 outpatient cases per year. The Association will gradually accommodate this number by the second year pending training of competent staff. The intention of establishing this center goes back to several years when FDA has realized that the number of children has outgrown the number of social welfare institutions. In addition, the 16 year duration of war has prevented caring institutions from remodeling or developing. Since then, FDA has been planning to develop its level of services and extend it to a greater number of beneficiaries. Concurrent with this, the Association included in its overall development plan a training program to increase the quality and quantity of specialized manpower to provide services to children, particularly in professional capacities. El-Meshref is a new village and is located 24 km to the South of Beirut. The construction of the center within this new village of El-Meshref will enforce its efforts to better serve children with disabilities. The center will be located in a breathtaking overview of the Beirut area that faces the campus. It will afford many opportunities for students to interact with the outside world in a non-threatening environment. In addition, a wide variety of recreational activities are available within the community. They include horseback riding, swimming, parks, basketball, hiking, and cycling. The Referral Center in El Meshref –I’idad School includes: • Special Classes for 120 Day care students with special needs • Vocational Training Unit for 25 youth with special needs • Early Intervention Unit for children from 0 to 4 Years of age. • Residential Dormitories and Guest House for 36 grown up ladies and gentlemen with special needs. • Out reach services to family and child for 280 families. • Staff Training Programs Unit • Community First Aid Clinic, covering the Mechrif & Damur communities. At this time of writing, the concrete construction is almost done. An important element in the financing of this Project, is the obligation undertaken by a parent of a disabled child to match the funds raised by FDA towards the completion of school. As such, we ask for community appreciation and participation in supporting and funding this pilot project as we thrive to accomplish this endeavor in serving children with disabilities equally as their counterparts in the society. More than 75% of our students are not able to cover all the tuition fees. The association fundraising activities strives to support the expenses gaps.