in the confined, constantly threatened, meagerly fed, opportunity-less world of Gaza -

there is hope, and the joy of achievement

there is triumph, despite pain and disability

* * * * * the para-athletes of Gaza

Supported by dedicated trainers and medical rehab staff, they have against all odds developed strength and fitness, overcome the difficulties of travelling abroad from Gaza, competed, and succeeeded, in international paralympics. Under the aegis of the Al Jazeera club, 40 normal athletes and 60 disabled athletes (including 20 visually impaired) are training together - sports include shot-putting, weight lifting, goalball for the visually impaired, volleyball, swimming, and table tennis. But the program also includes psychological and social support, and re-integration with normal society activities where needed. All this costs money - a much much smaller amount of money than an equivalent action in the UK - but previous sources of finance have dried up: and these brave men and women, and their dedicated support staff and volunteers will not be able to carry on without more help. With your support, Edinburgh Direct Aid will be able to provide that help. So please donate whatever you can. Later this year, EDA volunteers, (one herself disabled) will visit the project get to know the athletes and trainers personally, record their stories and bring them back to retell them here in this website: and of course, at the same time they will make sure that the support you give is being used as it ought to be.

HELP GAZA PARA-ATHLETES - DONATE NOW

Abdul Rahman training for javelin events

Abdul Rahman Abu Watfa

Abdul Rahman was born in 1990, with a disabled right hand; later he lost a leg at the knee due to a surgical error. His father is a construction worker; he lives with 8 brothers and sisters in very poor house with very little to live on. There was no work in Gaza for Abdul Rahman and no possibility of looking elsewhere. He was sinking into hopelessness and depression, until he joined the Al Jazeera program for disabled athletes. Starting as an amateur primary athletics player he progressed to become a secondary player in the club’s teams and then an international player in Palestine’s national team. At the Beginning of 2009 the Athletics Federation choose Abdel Rahman to represent Palestine in several local and universal para-athletic tournaments. He won a silver medal at the Asian Championship in Japan in 2009, participated in athletics in China in 2010, won a bronze medal in the shotput in International Forum in Al-ain 2011, a silver medal in the shot put and bronze in the javelin at the International Forum in Sharjah in 2011 and at the International Forum of athletics in Tunisia in 2011, gold in the shot put and after his adoption into Gaza’s Al Jazeera Club has restored not only his own morale and self confidence, but has also cheered and encouraged many others in Gaza to feel pride and confidence in their achievements under difficult conditions

Javelin Away!