Personal Info
- Country of residence: Lebanon
Information
In his modest
house in Burj Al-Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, blind refugee
Samer Hussein (51 years old) sits for long hours programming computers and
fixing their faults, for a large number of his acquaintances and neighbors who
come to him.
Hussein's
passion for working in computer programming and smart devices, despite his
visual impairment, began in 2002, after the release of talking programs (screen
readers) to help the blind, so he rushed at that time to enter the field with
strength and mastery of work in it.
Hussein offers
his services from inside his house to the people of the camp in which he lives,
hoping that his dream will grow and he will have his own shop, and programming
will become his official profession to support his family of three.
What made him
distinguished among the people of his camp was his strong will and great
determination to challenge his disability and his determination to succeed, and
to face the difficulties of life and the difficult economic conditions inside
the camp, as he was born blind and a refugee.
Hussein works
in the maintenance of computer operating systems and smart phones "software",
including programs and applications related to programming.
The
Palestinian refugee can deal with all kinds of problems related to the Windows
operating system and the Android system, as well as recover the lost
information that users need.
determination
and persistence
Hussein told
"Safa" agency that he insisted on challenging his disability and
overcoming it by will, as he joined several educational schools for the blind
in Lebanon, and was able to integrate with his peers from the sight in the
third secondary (the baccalaureate), which qualified him later to join the
University of Beirut to complete his postgraduate studies in Arabic language
and literature and graduate with distinction.
He explains
that he used the "Braille" method for reading and writing during the
school education stage, but at the university level he resorted to audio
recording of university lectures and books, in order to be able to study and
review in an easy and simple way, and to achieve the highest marks in his academic
subjects.
Hussein - who
has many other talents in poetry, English literature and music - enjoys high
spirits and great determination, but what disturbs his dream and his passion
for work are the financial difficulties, and it was not possible to purchase
many devices to assist him in his work. Due to the poor living conditions of
the Palestinian refugees in the camps.
He hopes that
Palestinian refugees will have their share of jobs in Lebanon, especially in
light of the limited job opportunities inside the camps, and that "the
official authorities will put the right man in the right place, away from
nepotism or nepotism," demanding that "everyone be equal in obtaining
their right to work and life." precious.”
life
difficulties
Like any
Palestinian refugee who lives in exile from his motherland, Hussein says:
"The path of the Palestinian refugee is paved with difficulties wherever
he goes, due to the laws of the host countries, and as a refugee and a blind
person, the difficulties were greater for me."
With
determination and persistence, he continues, "Only a strong will was my
weapon to survive the force majeure, which did not make me passive in dealing
with the surroundings, but rather possessed a spirit of challenge, and proved
that I was able to adapt to society."
Hussein did
not forget his family of gratitude and gratitude, as they are the first
supporter and constant understanding for him in all stages of his life, and
those who overcame difficulties for him and were the best help and support.
Hussein calls
on all persons with disabilities to have a great will, to resist all
circumstances, not to be silent about the right, to move towards work and life,
to integrate into society, and not to be hunkered down in the corners of their
homes.
The Palestinian
refugee explains that the Lebanese law does not grant refugees with visual
impairment their basic rights, describing it as "unfair and unfair."
He calls on
the Palestinian embassy in Lebanon to take its role and work to help the
Palestinian refugees, improve their living conditions and alleviate their
suffering, and provide them with the necessary assistance so that they can
continue their work and open their own projects.
He criticizes
"the method of distributing the Fatah movement's monthly allowances to
refugees with visual disabilities," noting that these allowances include
blind refugees in the refugee camps in Sidon and Tyre, without including the
Burj al-Barajneh camp.
Hussein calls
for the need for the monthly allocations provided by some Palestinian
organizations to include all Palestinian refugees with visual disabilities, and
not to be limited to one camp to the exclusion of the other.
Burj
al-Barajneh camp, which is inhabited by about 20,000 Palestinian refugees, is
one of the most overcrowded Palestinian camps in Beirut, and suffers from very
poor living conditions, worn-out infrastructure, narrow roads and an old sewage
system.
source
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