Photo essay

Awladna 2019

UNICEF supports differently-abled children inclusion through art

Dalia Younis
UNICEF supports differently-abled children inclusion through art
UNICEF/Egypt 2019/Dalia Younis
07 May 2019

For the third year in a row, Awladna Art Forum for differently-abled children took place between 15-22 February 2019 with the participation of 165 children from 36 countries.

A week full of arts and crafts exhibitions, musical and theatre performances, movie screenings as well as mobile photography and robotics workshops was an event that UNICEF sponsored for the second year thanks to the financial support of the European Union.

For the first time, the 2019 edition of the Forum included a one-day conference on “Empowering inclusion of the differently abled”. Co-funded by Orascom, the European Union and UNICEF, the conference was attended by representatives from the governmental and private sectors. It included panel discussions on means of enforcing the newly-issued legislations on persons with disabilities, inclusion in education as well as in the workforce and the role of innovative technology in endorsing inclusion.

UNICEF supports differently-abled children inclusion through art
UNICEF/Egypt 2019/Dalia Younis Mahmoud (on the left) is teaching 15-year-old Waheed (in the middle) how to control a robot while mom is proudly watching. Mahmoud was representing ‘Robone’, a start-up company, during the forum. ‘Robone’ develops technology-based educational solutions and organizes workshops on science and robotics for students at different ages. “It was the first time for me to give a workshop on robotics for differently-abled children, and I was fascinated by their engagement and ability to learn,” said Mamoud. “By the end of the workshop, people with Down syndrome were able to teach other children how to use this robot!”
UNICEF supports differently-abled children inclusion through art
UNICEF/Egypt 2019/Dalia Younis This Exhibition was the result of a mobile photography workshop in which 36 differently-abled children and youth participated during the forum. Photographer Galal El-Missary, who facilitated the workshop, said: “We were impressed by their enthusiasm, discipline and ability to interact with the public during the street photography session.”

             

UNICEF supports differently-abled children inclusion through art
UNICEF/Egypt 2019/Dalia Younis At the middle, Celine (4 years old) and Sagda (7 years old) are proudly holding their origami pigeons. They were taught to make them in one of the booths of the forum by a trainer with Down syndrome.
UNICEF supports differently-abled children inclusion through art
UNICEF/Egypt 2019/Dalia Younis Dr. Ashraf Reda, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Helwan University, honoring Mariam Wageeh (the first Faculty student with Down Syndrome).

             

Related topics

More to explore

Article

Awladna

Children with disabilities present their talents

Read now
Photo essay

Proud parents of differently-enabled children

Captured moments of proud parents of children with disabilities during Awladna Forum.

See now
Article

Making Room for Every Learner

For Mazen, inclusive education opened a new path to learning

Read now
Article

Malak in the Resource Room

How a UNICEF-Supported Resource Room is Helping Malak Overcome Learning Challenges and Thrive in School

Read now