Among the Health System Strengthening Project activities in Northern Syria (R4HSSS), Idlib Health Directorate(IHD) organized an online webinar for people with disabilities entitled “Forgotten Individuals in Northern Syria.” The webinar aimed to shed light on this important part of our society, address their concerns and needs and review some of their success stories and inspiring experiences. The webinar was moderated by Dr. Munther Al-Khalil, a researcher within the project to strengthen the health system in northern Syria, where he reviewed some numbers and statistics about the reality of disability in Syria, because according to figures from United Nations agencies, 28 percent of Syrians have some kind of disability, and 19 percent of Syrian children of age 2-17 years old have some form of physical or mental disability. After the earthquake, the percentage of disability increased in the northern Syrian region. The disabled struggle to obtain health, education, food, and housing services. They also suffer from difficulty escaping during the bombing as a result of the absence of equipment. The suspension of the World Food Program also increased the suffering of people with disabilities in Syria.

Dr. Zuhair Al-Karrat, Idlib Health Director, spoke about the efforts made by the Directorate to pay attention to the category of people with disabilities, as the Office for People with Disabilities Affairs was created, which is the first office of its kind within a government institution in the northern Syrian region. Several activities were also held to commemorate the International Day of People with Disabilities, Work has also begun to collect data about people with disabilities in the northern Syrian region, so that a database is ready to launch any projects that serve this category. In coordination with partners, health facilities are equipped with infrastructure to facilitate disabled people's access to health services. Also, a project has been launched to issue a card for persons with special needs and to raise quality service projects for many donors, We have also launched a project that the employment rate of persons with special needs in all institutions shall be at least 5% of the total number of employees We have also recently distributed 100 wheelchairs in coordination with partners, We are also trying to provide the necessary support to associations and centers concerned with the care of autistic children and children of Down's syndrome that work voluntarily. Dr. Anas Sattouf, health and nutrition coordinator at "World Vision" Organization, spoke about the interest of humanitarian organizations in this important group of society, and that the current trend is to take into account the needs of this group so that services can reach them in an easy, organized and dignified manner.

The inspiring experiences of three people with disabilities were presented in the webinar : - Mr. Hamdo Sallat, head of the Office for Disability Affairs in the Idlib Health Directorate, is a world champion in weightlifting - Ms. Dima Aktaa, is a Syrian athlete who participated in many world championships. She lost her leg in 2012 after her house in the Idlib countryside was bombed. She won the Arab Women’s Award in 2023 and was chosen as one of the 100 influential women in the world. - Mrs. Maryam Darouba, a member of the "Cultural Communication Association" for People with Disabilities in Idlib, has been blind since birth. She is currently a university student majoring in Turkish language, and she is also fluent in Braille for the blind. #Idlib_Health_Directorate