Basic HTML Version
6
Winter
2013
Their shock was quite obvious as the
fourth graders first walked into the beau-
tiful FISTA campus nestled in the Man-
sourieh woods. Some even got scared
and clung on the teacher’s hand. Seeing
this, Reem Mouawad, the school princi-
pal, shepherded the kids into the school’s
buildings. Here IC students were able to
watch and join in as mentally disabled
students worked in pottery, candle and
glass making workshops. Lumps of clay
were given out to the fourth graders as
they were urged to sit around the tables.
As the IC children pounded the clay,
FISTA students eyed them with curiosity.
“I am Maria”, cried out a FISTA student of
about 16 who was sitting across the table
from an IC girl. “What’s your name?”
The fourth grader, Maria Bassil, 9,
hesitated. “My name is Maria too,” she
answered.
“Really? Like me!” squealed the FISTA
student. “I want to be Maria Montanna.
I like Hannah Montana. Write ‘Robby’ for
me on this paper. I like ‘Robby.’”
The other IC students smiled. There was
nothing really scary about these FISTA
students. The two smiled at each other.
“I love you,” cried out FISTA’s Maria.
Without a hint of hesitation this time,
IC’s Maria promptly answered back. “I
love you too.”
In other workshops and around the
campus, FISTA students were trying to
meet these young newcomers.
There was Omar, a teenager who want-
ed a chocolate bar. IC students quickly
obliged. There was Ali, a 20-something
year-old man, who couldn’t speak but
was making all kinds of gestures to be un-
derstood. There was Rami, a shy looking
21-year-old, who won several medals at
horseback riding at the Special Olympics.
As the time passed, the fourth graders
began to look more at ease as some gave
high fives to passing FISTA students.
“They best way to help them,” ex-
plained Mouawad, “is to talk to them nor-
mally. Treat them normally. Respect them.”
As part of their PYP (Primary Years
Programme) theme, “How we organize
ourselves”, the fourth graders were on
a field trip to see for themselves the part
that NGOs play in society. Other fourth
grade sections were visiting other NGOs
in the city.
Established in 1993 by Dr. Wali Merhej,
Sana Hamza, Suzanne Jabbour, and Dr.
Jammal Ftouni, FISTA – The First Step
Together Association – cares for special
needs children and adults with various
disabilities including emotional, physical
and learning disabilities, mental retarda-
tion and autism. The school, which has
another branch in Tripoli, adopted the
Rudolf Steiner ideology which emphasizes
artistic activity as integral to all learning.
According to a 2010 UNESCO study,
“Reaching the Marginalized,” an estimated
10 percent of the Lebanese population
have a mental disability. Schools in the
country automatically eliminate students
with disabilities and only a handful them
cater to students with special needs. As
adults, many of the mentally disabled end
up being kept at the periphery of society or
hidden away in homes where they are per-
ceived as an embarrassment to the family.
For most of the fourth graders, this
was their first time meeting this unseen
branch of society’s members. It was a
rather touching encounter.
“I feel sorry for them,” said Jilan Jo-
maa, a fourth grader. “I don’t know what
else to feel.”
“Yes, me too,” agreed her classmate,
Nadim Jawhari.
It was time to go. On one hand, there was
a sense of regret. And on the other, there
was a sense of relief. It hadn’t been easy.
As the IC group headed back to the
bus, a few FISTA students stood in the
school grounds silently, but happily wav-
ing goodbye.
A Touching
Encounter