Hope and entertainment are not necessarily exclusive of each other and this was exemplified by the first exhibition of its kind called “Our Life is Full of hope”, organized by Amal Jeddah (Jeddah Hope) Center – a rehabilitation center for the disabled, and held last Tuesday at Al-Andalus Mall in Jeddah. Prince Fahd Bin Mashari inaugurated the exhibition with the goal of providing disabled people entry to the labor market in an attempt for them to gain experience in a competitive environment, produce output from their craft and earn enough to ensure a life of dignity and self-sufficiency. “This is an attempt to focus the spotlight on this group of people and to support them in interacting with the rest of society on a variety of levels,” he remarked at the event. “There is no doubt that people with special needs are part of this society; they are our sisters, brothers, and children. We must accept them with no barriers and be their partners in success.” Prince Mashari directed a call for private sector companies to provide a number of job opportunities for special needs' people based on the quality of their output showcased in festivals and exhibitions. “This particular group of people is not a beneficiary of other, specialist centers so for 19 years we have been supporting them and offering them job opportunities,” remarked Husni Halawani, the director of Jeddah Hope Center. Dr. Wasef Kabli, the Chairman of the center, spoke to Saudi Gazette about the center's future plans. “We are focusing on only disabled men so that we can tackle the unemployment phenomenon; receiving people between the age of 12 and 40,” he stated. Kabli described the process by which disabled people are given opportunities to interact with the rest of society. “The airport municipality has given us a park of sorts as well as a number of workshops where we arrange for the two groups of people to interact and the latter to provide training.” He also confirmed that ten disabled people have already been successfully hired in a number of fields. “We have also trained 30 students presented by the Human Resources Fund where they will work less hours and benefit from a number of workshops to help develop their skills,” he explained.
