As part of its commitment to empowering persons with disabilities (PWDs) and improving their access to essential health and rehabilitation services, the Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) Program at Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation (BASR) held a meeting with the Mayor of Khillet Al-Mai Municipality, Mr. Majdi Al-Adrah, in the presence of representatives from the Masafer Yatta Village Council and the Khashm Al-Karam Village Council.

The meeting focused on the importance of employing local CBR workers in Khillet Al-Mai to strengthen community-based support for persons with disabilities. CBR workers play a key role in identifying persons with disabilities, conducting home visits, coordinating with primary healthcare clinics, schools, and kindergartens, and assessing individual needs using the program’s registration tools. They also serve as a vital link between persons with disabilities, their families, and BASR’s specialized rehabilitation teams, while providing ongoing follow-up and family support.

Participants highlighted the urgent need to strengthen services for persons with disabilities in Khillet Al-Mai, Masafer Yatta, and the surrounding Bedouin communities, where hundreds of individuals with physical, intellectual, psychosocial, and other disabilities face limited access to rehabilitation and healthcare services.

The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to expanding cooperation to improve access to comprehensive health and rehabilitation services, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, psychological support, and assistive devices such as wheelchairs, prosthetic limbs, hearing aids, mobility aids, and other essential medical equipment.