"I'm sorry, but you can't enroll here, " the headmaster said to Karim and his mother. "You're one of THEM!" Karim was puzzled. Why was he one of them, and what did it mean?"
But Karim's mother was angry and sad. She knew just what the headmaster was talking about . When Karim was born in London, he was diagnosed with Down syndrome.
Doctors and social workers assured his mother, Ghada Khalife, that with the right help, Karim would have a good life. Unfortunately, when the family returned to their home in Cairo, Egypt, help was hard to find. Schools refused to accept Karim.
His mother refused to let her dream for him die. Then the headmistress of a British international school in Cairo said that Karim could attend her school. He was the school's first student with special needs.
Ten years later, happy with Karim’s progress, the school has enrolled other special needs kids. That's unusual in Egypt, where almost no children with disabilities receive an education. Even though the nation’s constitution [definition] says that all Egyptian children can go to public school, that doesn't often happen for kids with disabilities. Those who do enter public school are sent to special classes during their primary school years. After that, they are usually sent to vocational training . This means fewer chances for education and for jobs later. So many children who are disabled stay poor. They are shut away in their homes without any education and with little to do.
Which is why Together for Family Development, a nationwide network of churches and non-governmental organizations, is proposing amendments to the Egyptian Child Law of 1996. The changes would require schools to include thousands of children like Karim in the schools. The Joining Hands network of the Presbytery of Des Moines is working together with their partners to see that this happens.
“The children my son grew up with are kind to him and treat him as an equal. They are protective of him, cue him if the teacher asks a question, remind him of his homework or other instructions that he should follow. They have grown up with him, so for them, he is part of their community,” says his mother.
Karim's mother knows that there are some things her son cannot do. But he is also just another kid, a teenager who is good at some subjects and not so good at others.
And Karim has helped his classmates in some ways, too. One teacher told Karim's mother that because Karim is in school, the other children accept differences in people. They have learned that children with special needs can add a lot. They can become one of us, not one of them.
Pray for Karim and for other children living with disabilities.
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