Help them shine today for a brighter tomorrow

They live life under an occupation that has extended into decades.
They are considered second-hand citizens even amongst their own.
They deal with prejudice and stigma, while struggling to accept and live
with the daily trials of a disability.
But they do not ask for your pity, they ask for your understanding.
Instead of your tears, they ask for smiles.
And more than anything, they ask for what they deserve: the right to fulfill their potential, regardless of their disabilities.

These are hardships that adults would find difficult to cope with and overcome. So imagine what it’s like for a child who should be spending his or her time climbing trees, making friends, and being carefree.
This, in short, is what motivated Dr. Jumana Odeh when she founded the “Palestinian Happy Child Center” (PHCC) in 1994 as a place that stands up for the rights of children with disabilities, focusing on their special needs, offering them the appropriate medical care, and promoting their education, social integration and rehabilitation.
As a pediatrician and public health expert, Dr. Odeh has spent a lifetime helping improve the health of the most vulnerable members of Palestinian society, a lifetime’s efforts that have culminated in the establishment of a center unlike any other in the country, providing children with disabilities with state-of-the-art care and free of charge services for their educational, health, developmental and psychological needs.
But its mission doesn’t stop there, extending help to family members and assisting them as they learn to accept the situation and overcome the cultural stigma attached to disability in the Arab world.

Today, PHCC is known as Palestinian Happy Child Centre for Children with special needs, and is renowned for its concerted efforts to raise awareness and bring much-needed global attention to the plight of disabled children in Palestine.
With several milestones achieved in its march towards providing quality assistance and the inclusion of disabled children in Palestinian society, the foundation has succeeded in steadily changing culturally imbedded perceptions and prejudices.
But there is still a long road ahead, and it is a journey no one needs to take alone.

Join us, and together we can make a difference in the lives of those who need it most.