Heba Al-Shurafa, 27 years old, was diagnosed with Down’s Syndrome as a child but this has not prevented her from finding success and helping others grow and develop in the besieged Gaza Strip.
She attended the Right to Live Society’s school – a Gaza-based charity for the disabled – as a child in Gaza City and then moved to another school.
She is now back to resume her education and become the first student to return as a teacher teaching other students with Down’s Syndrome.
Heba teaches computing and physical fitness, and told MEMO that she is trying to teach the children how to hold a pen correctly and write in order to train their muscles to write well.
Nabil Juneid, director of The Right to Live’s rehabilitation programmes, said that the Society serves 1,500 people with Down’s Syndrome, including 650 who attend the school on a regular basis.
With regards to Heba, she attended the school at a young age and received her qualifications to become a teacher. Her case is the first of its kind and unique, and she teaches under the supervision of the main teacher.
She was able to receive qualifications in curricular and extracurricular skills, such as computer skills and other practical activities.
The society is now working on qualifying 6 teacher assistants like Heba Al-Shurafa, who is seen, rightly so, as a success story.