Success Stories
Friday, 16 May 2014 12:55

Majdi Mere'i, the city of Tulkarem

Majdi got injured during the second Intifada by the Israeli military. He lost the ability to move and was diagnosed with hemiplegia. By the time he went to Jordan to receive adequate treatment, the counselor of the East Jerusalem YMCA – Rehabilitation Program visited his family to assess their needs during the new reality of Majdi's disability.The counselor made them aware of their son's needs, and how best to communicate and support him during his hardship without marginalizing him or underestimating his capacities. As soon as Majdi came back from Jordan, the counselor started a weekly visit program with him to help him overcome his trauma, provide him with space to release his sadness and re-integrate into the community.

The Program made some adaptations to Majdi's house to facilitate his movement and supported his participation in a number of training and capacity building programs during which he discovered his passion and talent in sculpture. Following that Majdi became confident enough to participate in national galleries and contests and was able to make plans for his future.

In order to secure a living, Majdi requested from his counselor to help him in further developing his passion of sculpture into an income generating project. Therefore after helping him in setting a simple feasibility study, the Program supported him in establishing a small sculpture factory in his home and began to generate modest income. In addition to this, Majdi was able to save some money from the financial support he received from the government as an Intifada victim and moved from a home based factory to a wider and well established business that generated enough income to support his family and himself.

The East Jerusalem YMCA - Rehabilitation Program succeeded in bringing Majdi back to life through a comprehensive program of rehabilitative services of psychosocial counseling, house adaptations, harmonizing family relations and capacity building. He is now a young artist and the owner of a well established business that can fully provide for his needs.

Interact With Us

Multimedia