A CAMPAIGN is underway to find specialist institutes willing to take in two Bahraini children with special needs.
They are the sons of 33-year-old mother-of-three Um Salem, a Bahraini who is originally from Jordan.
There are no suitable facilities in Bahrain and she said she was so desperate to provide her children the care they needed that she even tried to sell one of her kidneys to raise money, even though the sale of organs is illegal in Bahrain.
A charity organisation, called Abwab Al Kair, has come forward to help with donations of food and clothes, as well as find places at specialist institutes abroad for her three sons.
It has already secured a place for her eldest son Salem, 14, at an institute in Kuwait with support from the Kuwaiti Embassy in Bahrain, even though it normally accepts Kuwaitis only.
Now it is seeking a similar arrangement for her other sons Ahmed, 10, and Jassim, 11.
Her three sons are autistic and Jassim attends a government school in Isa Town, which has a section for special needs pupils.
However, Salem also suffers a mental disability, while Ahmed is also deaf and suffers from speech and vision disorders, as well as weak heel tendons.
Um Salem said her priority now was to find a place overseas for her youngest son, who is currently attending the RIA Centre, in Adliya, for children with special needs for two hours each day.
“For Ahmed, schools here are very expensive, like BD400 or BD500,” she told the GDN.
“He was rejected in government schools because of his odd behaviour.”
She previously hoped he would be accepted at an institute in the UAE, but he was not because he is not an Emirati citizen.
“I knocked on so many doors for help, but people rejected him because he is autistic,” she said.
“I sold my furniture and did everything to take my son to the UAE, but unfortunately he wasn’t received there as it is only for UAE citizens.
“I have nothing left to sell and I have no other options. I even put my kidney up for sale, but there was no response.
“I just want to take my son out of Bahrain. I don’t mind if he lives at the other end of the world, but at least he will get treated.”
Um Salem said she was granted a divorce from her Bahraini ex-husband five years ago, on grounds of alleged domestic violence.
“Now my ex-husband is getting married and my sister-in-law said I have to vacate this house, which is in his name,” she added.
“She said he would rent me another house, but I don’t trust him.
“I fear being thrown onto streets soon with my sons.”
Um Salem receives monthly child support payments of BD350 from her ex-husband, as well as stipends from the Labour and Social Welfare Ministry and the Supreme Council for Women.
However, she is unable to work full-time because her time is spent caring for her children, although she does bake to make extra money.
Abwab Al Kair representative Abu Abdullah said the organisation had hoped to find specialist institutes for Ahmed and Jassim in the GCC, without success.
He revealed it would now look for other options outside the Middle East.
“We have tried our best to find some institutes in the GCC that could take in Ahmed and Jassim, but there are none,” he said.
“We are glad that we could be of some help to the family and Salem is now in Kuwait, but that is not enough.
“The mother wishes to educate her boys so they can survive on their own (in future).
“That’s why we hope to reach out to countries outside the Middle East.”
raji@gdn.com.bh
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