The participants at the Best Buddies awareness workshop.
DOHA: As part of the mutual partnership between Best Buddies Qatar and Ooredoo, an awareness workshop was held about how to help and support people with a disability.
The event, which was presented by Sahar Al Kahlout and Abdullah Al Mimi from Best Buddies which was held in Ooredoo Tower and was part of Best Buddies community awareness programme.
The workshop included a number of main points, most prominent of which was about intellectual and developmental disability definition and categories, causes of disability, examples of most common disabilities; characteristics and symptoms and finally, tips on how to help persons with disabilities.
The workshop aimed to raise the community awareness level about disability causes, the rights of persons with disability and to spread the culture of disability.
The workshop had a great attendance from Ooredoo staff, who were interacting actively during the workshop. Best Buddies has stated Ooredoo employee inquiries and questions during the workshop emphasized the community need for more awareness about disability and its causes in light of the many current misconceptions about it.
The executive director of Best Buddies Qatar, Laalei Abu-Alfain commented that the initiative is highly keen to approach all community categories “The initiative is seeking to spread the culture of disability in the community and to raise awareness of persons with disability, their needs, abilities and capabilities as active members in society. Moreover, raising awareness about how to deal with them through organising a number of awareness workshops, trainings and presentations which are based on a comprehensive training plan developed on the society needs analysis. Through this training plan, the initiative can achieve its mission and vision.”
“The initiative is putting all efforts possible to introduce to society members the essential role for persons with disability. Hence, all potentials must be accommodated to include them fully in all different daily life aspects.
This is to accomplish the Qatar National Vision 2030 which aims to empower persons with disability and to increase their participation in society and find new working fields through which obstacles can be removed to help them contribute to productivity and creativity, “Laalei Abu Alfain added. Manar Khalifa Almuraikhi, Director of PR and Corporate Communications, Ooredoo Qatar, said: “Ooredoo is keen to partner with various leading institutions in Qatar in order to support and to enhance the work of charities across the country.
We needed to host Best Buddies to ensure our staff knew more about the importance of including persons with disability and to help them to be active members in society. Ooredoo is an active employer of persons with disability and we encourage other companies in Qatar to speak to Best Buddies and host a workshop in your business.”
Best Buddies Qatar has thanked all stakeholders in Ooredoo for the unlimited support they provide to Best Buddies Qatar and for the precious opportunity to communicate with staff through this workshop, which will be followed with various other workshops in the future.
Best Buddies has invited other entities in Qatar to communicate with Best Buddies Qatar for the best advantage for persons with disability.
