We're pleased to announce Ahuva is walking - and going to attend a regular school

Illustrative image via Flickr (Creative Commons)
This is not Ahuva, and Ahuva is not her name. The facts are accurate and
real. We strictly respect the privacy of all the children in all our programs

Ahuva first came to our notice when she was just four months old. Born with Down Syndrome, she was diagnosed as having significant cognitive and physical delays.

Ahuva's parents knew she needed special therapies in order to help her develop and reach her potential. But they quickly learned that the only clinic with appropriate therapists for infant care was in a distant city. The family didn’t have a car and lacked the funds that would have made getting there easy.

The result was that Ahuva was not receiving any treatments at all when her family made contact. The team at the Malki Foundation's Jerusalem office quickly arranged for Ahuva to be admitted to our Zlata Hersch Memorial Therapists on Wheels Program under which we provided 100% of the costs of a specialized therapist to come to the family's home and to work at regular intervals with Ahuva. The innovative Therapists on Wheels program has been in operation since 2011.

With the therapist’s help, Ahuva was able to walk at two years old to the delight of her parents. Ahuva's mother reports:

“Thanks to the intensive work with the therapist made possible by the Malki Foundation's intervention, our Ahuva is now going to be able to be mainstreamed and attend a regular pre-school with other children. We couldn't be prouder.”  

It's a tremendous honour to be able to extend our support to families like Ahuva's. And it's a great privilege to say "thank you" to the kind supporters without whom our programs would not be able to operate.