Our Lady of Peace Center, which is affiliated with the Latin Vicariate in Amman, marked on Saturday, December 7, the International Day of Disabled Persons under the title, “Enhancing the Participation of Disabled Persons and Guiding them”.
Present at the ceremony were Superior General of the Rosary Sisters Mother Ines Al-Yacoub, General Director of the Latin Patriarchate Schools in Jordan Fr. Wissam Mansour, Head of the Central Committee Mr. Sahem Mdanat, a number of priests and public figures.
Turning to the center’s most prominent achievements this year, Director of the Center Fr. Shawqi Baterian said, “The center welcomed this year a larger number of children compared to the year before and expanded its free services by activating the therapeutic pool and establishing a soap workshop in Aqaba, as well as serving autistic children.
Noting that despite the achievements attained at the center, the Jordanian society is still in urgent need in various areas, especially with regards to integrating these children into their society, due to the lack of the necessary infrastructure in many schools and the high cost of teaching.
Concluding his address, Fr. Baterian lauded the prevailing cooperation among the Center, the Sisters of the Rosary School in Marj Al-Hamam, and the International Community School which motivates the process of integrating the children into society and schools, as well as developing their constructive social interaction.
For her part, Mother Ines Al-Yacoub expressed her happiness to participate in the celebration which is “a message that stresses the importance of massing all efforts to support and care for the center’s children.” She added, “We all believe that the family is the basic unit in a society, and that all institutions of society must respect and enforce the rights of any citizen, especially people with disabilities.” She also noted that Jordan has taken this sublime humanitarian message very seriously, especially with regards to the efforts implemented by the Latin Patriarchate through Our Lady of Peace Center, which is the institution that emerged from the concept of ‘God is love; God loves everyone; and God cares for His children.”
At the end of the ceremony, awards of distinction were presented to students, and shields were presented to school directors in appreciation of their roles in promoting awareness and integration into society.
