The Birzeit University Institute of Community and Public Health hosted the on May 7, 2015, the founder and director-general of the Palestinian Happy Child Center Dr. Jumana Oudeh.

In her opening statement, Oudeh presented statistical data related to children and people with disabilities and special needs, as there are worldwide about 600 million people with disabilities, which constitutes about 11% of the total world population and 25% of the total population that include the families of those with special needs. In Palestine, children under age of 18 constitute about 50.2% of the total population, while 2.3% of the community are considered with limited thinking, and 7% are in the broader sense autistic, disabled and with special needs.

Oudeh gave a briefing about the center, which offers 11 programs and about 90 weekly sessions for various needs, in addition to other services needed by the Palestinian community, noting that the center has outreached 39 thousand Palestinian children, some of which are disabled or with special needs.

Regarding the difficulties and constraints encountered by the center, Oudeh said that due to the absence of a real infrastructure, which hinders the work machinery, in addition to the impact of the political situation, which led to the shortage of specialists and lack of training opportunities for those working in the field.

Oudeh added that in spite of these difficulties, yet we achieved a lot, in terms of being internationally recognized and managed to network with several international and regional institutions. Moreover, the center has created a suitable environment for the children and managed to integrate them into the Palestinian community, she added.