Hankematkaraportti helmikuu 2014

At 12:00 meeting in the main center/financial department with auditor, Mr Raghid al-Adass. We checked the FGC Saida project report and preliminary audit report, and began to see the MSN-service project –reports.

Afterwards we visited Shatila center.

We had difficulties at the entrance gate to the camp despite the approved permissions. We were reminded about the restrictions of photographing in the camp. The soldiers did not get contact to their office to check the issue, and Ibtissam had to go to the army again. After 1 ½ hours we succeeded to enter the camp.

In Ein el-Helweh –center we met 5 sponsored children, and they wrote messages to their sponsors. Then we met two KG-teachers and one assistant, who work for the PRS children in two classes. These classes are financed by the Finnish Embassy in Beirut, local cooperation project funds. On the way back to FGC Saida we visited in the camp Hiba, who has Finnish sponsor.

Again, being back to the FGC Saida, we could attend the music therapy session for one girl and one boy. The girl, Doa´a, has sponsoring group in Finland and the boy, Ibrahim, in Italy.

Back to Beirut by buss without any complications.

We learned that the symptoms of the child, which are more easily recognized by parents, are difficulties in speech and enuresis. However, the awareness about the complexity of the psychological symptoms has grown. The concept of special education is not familiar among many families, therefore several problems might be to overcome in in accepting services, e.g. transportation with its costs. The costs of special school and transportations can be 5000 USD – 7900 USD, not affordable for Palestinian families.

In FGC Nahr el-Bared discussion was stated, that the true problems and service gaps are in education, even the emphasis of UNRWA is in medical aspects.

Due to the security problems, there are difficulties to recruit new professionals for FGC Nahr el-Bared. There might be one psychologist willing to function as psychotherapist, and the recruiting process is going on.

In the morning Director Jamile introduced us Amina, 18 years, who came to participate the societal issues discussion group. Her family situation has been severe, mother lost her legs in Sabra & Shatila massacre, her father is blind. However, gradually Amina with her siblings have gained independence and better situation.

We followed several musical training group sessions. Shatila camp center has a lot of volunteers assisting in the services. Voluntary teachers for oud, drums and violin offer their lessons to the children and youth. We were told that in Syria the possibilities to study art have been better than in Lebanon. In Shatila center the children can increase the possibilities to develop one´s artistic skills.

We met several sponsored children, both by FiPSR and FAFS in Shatila. In addition, we met Farah, 15-year-old girl, who was once interviewed by the local TV. She told that she wants to become President of Palestine. We interviewed Farah about her presidential program. Kirsti Palonen wrote an article about this interview to AKYS-tiedote (FAFS newspaper).

There are a lot of newcomers invading to Shatila, the result is, that people do not know any more everybody living in the community. This causes uncertainty and sometimes fears, told Director Jamile Shehade.

We visited with social workers Jamile and Zuhour the family of Mona, 8-year-old girl, who goes to a special school and has a sponsoring group in Finland. She played and sang familiar songs, seemed to be in progress.

In Baalbeck center, (Wavel camp), we could follow how the donation from Inanna ry was distributed to 66 Syrian and Palestinian families. They got voucher for 20 liters fuel for heating. We could visit one family, living with another family in two small rooms. Heater was only in one room. The mother was suffering from cancer and could not get treatment in Lebanon.

Remedial classes for PRS students are run by Ms Zeina Hassen (Arabic), Ms Izdihar Kayed (English) and Mr Mohamad al Haj (Mathematic). There are 45 children studying afternoons in the remedial classes.

Once a month the knitting club is having the workshop. It is a sister group for the Finnish Solidaarisuussilmukat, Solidarity Stitches. The 35 kg donation of knitwear sent by Solidaarisuussilmukat was delivered to Ms Aziza Shehade, the director of BAS Wavel center.

We negotiated about the one-question survey for every FGC staff member as a baseline study for the efforts to develop the community based mental health model (CBMH) more comprehensively in the mental health program.

We proposed the idea of making a personnel training plan for FGC staff. There are several training ideas and options. When they are put in the form of training plan, it is easier to follow up the fulfillment of training needs.

We also presented the voluntary work offer of Ms Hellevi Bengs, theater and media director, “Visual theater workshop for young people, children and counselors” (possible to get in autumn 2014).

After that we were taken to Bourj el-Barajneh camp, where we visited two KG-classes, and met the mother of two sponsored children, Ahmad and Rawan, (FAFS), and made a home visit to the family of Isra´a, who has a Finnish sponsor through FAFS. The problems of children are multiple and rather severe, so that the definition of “child with multiple special needs” is more connected to the available services than to the real needs of the child. Many outside of the MSN-project are “children with multiple special needs”.

At 9:30 meeting in FGC Beirut with Director Kassem Aina and Liliane Younes. We spoke about composing the personnel training plan 2014 for FGCs. There was discussion about whom BAS wants to invite to the conference in June. We decided that 20^th March would the proposal for conference travel grants be ready, in order to have enough time to apply for the grant.

The local teams are not aware about the detailed project budget, and cannot plan their work without guidance. We therefore mentioned that the coordination persons are needed to monitor the budget and inform the teams about the possible activities.

We agreed that the survey results from FGC Saida will be presented in Arabic by Liliane or someone from FGC Saida. The slides (three) will be prepared in English. The survey is about parents’ feedback, data collected in October 2013 by the social workers in FGC Saida.

At 12:00 meeting with Ambassador, Mr Kari Kahiluoto in downtown Beirut. Discussion was about the political situation in Lebanon and the case of Syria. Ambassador expressed his opinion about the NGO assistance in Syria. There is a threat of kidnapping or death of NGO activists, if they enter Syria, and therefore it should be avoided.

At 2:00 short visit to the Embroidery Center with Mr Hautaniemi. After that visit to Shatila Center and visit to Jamile Shehade. The young relatives of her were interviewed; what message they would like to send to the Finnish audience? Palestine, studies, visit to Finland, were the themes.

We want to thank also Dr Najla Bashour, Birgit Ghoussub, Sophie Rodin, Hellevi and Christer Bengs, Laura Moilanen.

During the visit we distributed the address of the e-book “Utters of Shutters”, 66 stories of the Palestinian children and elderly people.