In each Newsletter we hope you will meet one of the children supported by an organization which receives financial help from the donations you make to the MET. This time Ruba (Head Teacher at Al Shurooq in Bethlehem) introduces us to Sara Sabarna

Sara was born on 14 November 2011 in Beit Omar village, near Hebron. She is the second child of uneducated parents who are both out of work.

Sara was born prematurely and with a kidney tumour; she spent her first two years in hospital. When she went home, her parents didn’t know how to deal with a visually impaired child, so they didn’t allow her to grow up like other children, even when the doctors assured them that her health was stable. Her parents kept her in bed all the time; if she had to go somewhere her father carried her like a baby, even when she was three years old. Not only was she was partially sighted, she had no verbal communication, couldn’t walk or move and had no social skills.

Al Shurooq received Sara in 2014 when she had a severe delay in cognitive skills; no verbal language; she wasn’t able to react to any stimulations. She cried the whole time. She wasn’t able to walk, she didn’t know how to sit on a chair and she wasn’t able to go upstairs. Sara had no daily life skills, she didn’t know how to eat or how to use the toilet and was physically very weak.

An intensive intervention program was created for Sara including visual rehabilitation and optometrist visits; occupational therapy sessions; recreational activities; musical therapy; psychosocial intervention program (for both Sara and her mother) and sport activities. Sara benefited from Al-Shurooq’s Early Intervention Program and Kindergarten Program.

How is Sara doing now?

Sara developed her language abilities and has an excellent level of verbal communication. Sara is a very active girl, participating in different activities; she has established a lot of friendships with other children. Her sensory skills and abilities developed in a spectacular way. Sara is one of the best students in volunteering for jobs; she likes to help others and is a symbol of sincerity and honesty.

Sara is enjoying a normal healthy relationship with her family at home. She is dealing with the challenges and difficulties that she faces in her daily life in a positive and practical way. She is achieving good results in her final year at the kindergarten and next year she will join the elementary school.

How are you helping?

By sponsoring Sara, she continues with all the services she needs to continue her development. With the METs help, Sara will continue her education and manage to grow in a healthy and positive way; she will gain self-confidence that will help her to overcome all the challenges that she will face in her future — she will be able to achieve her dreams.