HOPE Qatar
Centre For Special Needs
HOPE Qatar was founded in 2005, after Dr. Rajeev Thomas faced difficulty in finding a school for his son, who had Down’s Syndrome. The special needs centres that were available at the time were really expensive, and the mainstream schools just couldn’t give his son the attention he required. It was this that prompted him and his wife, Dr. Ciby Mathew, to start the school in order to help other parents facing the same situation.
HOPE Qatar provides Help, Opportunity, Participation and Education for children with Down's Syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), among others.
So, just what type of education do they provide?
HOPE Qatar, though technically not a school, is a centre that provides a near-school environment, and has multinational students, so they have a British, Indian and an American curriculum, Kindergarten, and Early Intervention Class - this is where they detect any learning disabilities, developmental issues or conditions and intervene accordingly.
They also provide extensive speech, behavioural and occupational therapy.
The child’s progress is measured yearly, with the year divided into 3 sections, or terms if you will, where parents are briefed on the progress of the child. This is done against a checklist covering a number of areas such as academic, speech, behavioural etc.
Working with special needs children, as one staff member told me, requires patience, love AND education - specifically, an education in Special Education. We’re talking diploma-bachelor’s-master’s type of education. (I did not know that.)
The teachers at HOPE Qatar are all highly qualified and have a passion for what they do. Though I’m not sure how they deal with all the emotions. Me, on the other hand, all the times I’ve been around the children, I found myself overrun with emotion. Highs, lows, some I cannot explain. The strongest one though is joy - when I see the children on stage during their Annual Day celebrations.
I see children who are loved by their teachers. I see children shattering misconceptions about 'disability'. I see support from all those gathered. I see numerous volunteers offering their time to help around. I listen to stories of progress. I see the joy in their parents faces.
I see a vision come to life - a vision that one day, children who need special education can find an affordable centre, one that can give each child the attention and care that he/she requires.
I see the children in good hands.
I see HOPE.
(Originally published in February 2020)
