Deputy Assistant Secretary Scott Turner of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) Monday visited International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) and King Hussein Foundation Institute for Family Health (IFH) as part of his visit to Jordan.
Turner checked on IOCC’s and IFH’s activities that address the needs of refugees and vulnerable Jordanians with impairments and disabilities, supported by PRM, at IFH’s clinic in Sweileh.
With support from PRM, IOCC and IFH are implementing a comprehensive, community-based project that addresses challenges persons with disabilities (PWDs) face in accessing services, and promotes inclusion and empowerment of PWDs through urgently needed diagnostic, rehabilitation, and education services.
“This project fills key gaps in disability services for both refugees and vulnerable Jordanians,” IOCC Country Representative, Loren Hyatt noted.
“With support from PRM, those who struggled to read can now see clearly, thanks to glasses and low vision devices, those who were unable to hear or communicate can now be a part of family conversations, thanks to hearing aids and speech therapy, those who could not complete daily tasks are more independent, thanks to physical therapy and occupational therapy, and those who were falling behind in school are able to keep up with their peers, thanks to special education sessions and workshops with local teachers,” Hyatt added.
Turner said the United States is the largest single donor of humanitarian assistance worldwide and is committed to easing the suffering of people in need, including refugees.
IOCC’s work in Jordan is an important example of how U.S. assistance changes lives for the better, he added.
Visiting IOCC on World Refugee Day, it is inspiring to see the resilience and perseverance of refugees in person, he said.
Source: Jordan News Agency