Blind Aid Worker Receives Human Rights Award
A CBM partner is the recipient of the 'International Service Human Rights Award for the Defence of the Human Rights of Disabled People'. The award will be presented on 7 December 2009 at the House of Lords, London.
Rima Canawati, 45, lost her own sight completely in her late teenage years, and has risen to the top of her profession where she is now the Director of Programme Development at the Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation (BASR), West Bank. The project is supported by CBM - a partnership that spans 25 years.
CBM UK has also just implemented an emergency programme with BASR in Gaza/West Bank with funding from the Scottish Government.
"CBM staff I deal with are my role models in promoting inclusive development", says Rima.
Rima was born in Kuwait and has been working in the disability field for 16 years.
Rima supervises the work of five day care centres which are located in different villages and refugee camps in Bethlehem. The centres provide children with rehabilitation and special education in the areas of self help skills and behavioural skills. She also established a programme to meet the needs of traumatised and abused children and those with disabilities and their families, victims of ongoing violence.
"Inclusive Development means making sure everyone is included in development, regardless of their gender, sex, disability, or religion, " says Laura Townsend, CBM UK's Overseas Programmes Officer.
Rima's award comes just days before Human Rights Day on 10 December.
You can listen to Rima, together with Laura, on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire's 'Easy Sunday' show with Matt Jamison on iPlayer from approximately 2hr 2mins. You can listen to the show online until Sunday 20th December.