Goto main content

Jordan: HI helps Jawad develop new skills

Inclusion
Jordan

5-year-old Jawad has difficulty communicating and learning new skills. Humanity & Inclusion is helping him overcome these challenges with learning-based home visits.

Jawad works with HI partners during his home “portage” visit.

Jawad works with HI partners during his home “portage” visit. | © D. Ginsberg / HI

Facing obstacles

Jawad is five and a half years old and lives in Amman with Jawad. © D.Ginsberg / HI his mother. He was born with a developmental disability known as Down Syndrome and has difficulty with social interactions, general communication and pre-academic skills such as identifying shapes, colors or following instructions.

Portage: supporting Jawad’s learning development

To help him develop these skills, Humanity & Inclusion (HI) uses a technique known as “portage,” a home-based intervention that targets children with disabilities and developmental delays and teaches caregivers to better assist their children.

“Each week we come to Jawad’s home to perform activities that help him develop pre-academic skills.” Explains Shaima Anabtawi, HI Inclusive Livelihood Technical Officer in Jordan. “After an assessment, we create an individual plan based on his needs and we set short-term goals accordingly. Within the first month, the goal is for him to recognise geometric shapes, and respond appropriately to basic requests such as ‘close the door’ or ‘bring the glass.”

Jawad’s mother also plays in integral role in the activities so that she can learn how to incorporate developmental activities into their daily routine and continue his progress between sessions. HI’s trained partners help her develop an Individual Family Service Action Plan with activities adapted to Jawad’s goals, the family’s daily life, and their available resources. 

Promising progress

Jawad has now been receiving weekly portage visits for Jawad with HI partner. © D.Ginsberg / HIover five months and has shown significant improvement. He can now identify basic shapes such as circles, squares, and triangles. He can recognise sizes and colors, and he performs many social interactive behaviors, including initiating interactions with others.

His portage activities are still ongoing and Jawad continues to progress each week.

*HI also provided Jawad with a pair of glasses to help improve his vision.

Date published: 11/08/22

COUNTRIES

Where we work

Read more

When collective cooking brings back social cohesion
© HI
Health Inclusion

When collective cooking brings back social cohesion

After a decade of conflict, mistrust is still prevalent in Central African communities. To recreate safe spaces, HI has been reaching out to these communities to organise collective activities.

Thanks to a more inclusive and accessible environment, Mario can now go back to school
© Screen Imagem / HI
Inclusion

Thanks to a more inclusive and accessible environment, Mario can now go back to school

Mario Monteiro is a young man who lives in Mozambique. At school, he used to be mocked and shunned, but since HI supported him, he has made friends and can pursue his dreams.

“Before, she couldn’t bend her legs. Now she can sit normally.”
© HI
Inclusion Rehabilitation

“Before, she couldn’t bend her legs. Now she can sit normally.”

Ruth is 15 months old. She suffers from malnutrition, which could irreversibly affect her growth. She is being cared for by HI.

FOLLOW US