By: Lisa Abou Khaled and Matthew Saltmarsh

HAZMIEH, Lebanon – Born deaf and living as a Syrian refugee in
Lebanon, eight-year-old Mohammed has faced more hurdles than most during
his short lifetime. But thanks to the support of a remarkable
institution he has found his voice and the promise of a brighter future.

For three years now, Mohammed has been attending the Father Andeweg Institute for the Deaf (FAID) in Hazmieh, a leafy suburb on the Damascus Road in the hills above Beirut.

Originally from Idlib, Syria, he did not attend schools at home as
they were not accessible to children with hearing impairments. He still
needs surgery and a proper hearing aid, which his parents cannot afford
as they struggle to make ends meet in Lebanon.

In many cases, before finding the school, parents had given up hope
of their children having the same opportunities as other children. But
Mohammed’s mother, Salima, told officials from UNHCR, the UN Refugee
Agency, during a recent tour of the school that she was delighted that
her son had been given a chance.

“I can clearly see how much he has progressed since coming here. He
can finally speak,” she said. “Mohammed has made friends, he’s very
happy there.”

Aid organizations have estimated that among the nearly five million
refugees from the conflict in Syria in the region, one in five has a
physical, sensory or intellectual impairment. In situations of forced
displacement, those with disabilities often face barriers to accessing
services and are given few opportunities to play an active role in their
communities.

Founded in 1957 by Father Andy Andeweg, a Dutch Anglican priest who
died in 1999, FAID is one of a handful of establishments in the country
that offers specialist speech and auditory therapy. It welcomes Lebanese
and Syrian children aged 3-18 with hearing disabilities, from different
religious backgrounds.

 “It’s essential for children living with disabilities to have access
to specialized education and care so that they can regain their
self-confidence and become active members of their society,” said
Mireille Girard, UNHCR’s Representative in Lebanon.

During the 2015-2016 school year, UNHCR piloted specific needs
education programmes in the south and the north of the country, working
with the government and other partners like Restart and Caritas. The
programme will expand this year.

The FAID school feels like an oasis of calm nestled above Lebanon’s
boisterous capital. Its 60 children, 14 of whom are Syrians, have
varying degrees of speech and hearing difficulties and are taught the
Lebanese curriculum, in English and Arabic.

Free of charge, it provides the kind of therapy, counselling and
specialized support in small classes that is extremely rare in this
fragile region, including extras like clothes and food. Some kids return
home each night, while others board for the week before returning as
far as the Bekaa valley.

The FAID pupils have access to expert diagnosis from medical doctor
Nemer Attieh, head of speech and hearing, who has worked at the school
for over 20 years. He maps phoneme frequency ranges, and fits and adapts
hearing devices, referring some to local hospitals for cochlear implant
surgery – the insertion of electronic devices in the inner ear to
improve auditory processing. The school aims to move its pupils swiftly
beyond signing to lip reading and oral communication.

Funding comes from the government as well as charities including
Ireland-based Lebanon Trust, started by Christy Kinsella, who served
three tours in Lebanon in the 1980s and 1990s as a UN peacekeeper. After
retiring, he came back to Lebanon, discovered the school and was
hooked. “You just have to come back,” Kinsella said. “The difference you
see in the children is amazing. It’s a labour of love.”

Lebanon Trust finances part of the salaries for the school’s staff, and conducts maintenance work

Lina Atallah, FAID’s academic supervisor, said the students face
particular challenges as there is little provision for their
disabilities during exams or at university. Despite that, FAID students
have made it to reputed universities and some are holding down good
jobs.

“We work on building the whole personality of the child to prepare
them for life ahead,” she said. “They need to discover what they are
good at. They are all fighters.”