AMMAN — Activists have resorted to the internet to build
connections with the families of children with disabilities to provide them
with guidance.
اضافة اعلان
They set up Habaybna.net, which is an Arabic digital
platform specialized in helping children with development disabilities. It
provides special content in Arabic and connects parents with specialists for
one-on-one free-of-charge sessions.
Reem Afrenji, the co-founder and managing partner of
Habaybna, is also a mother of two children who have development disabilities.
“Speaking from my experience as a mother, it took me three
years to know how to help my child. But even after I did, I realized that in
every phase my child goes through, new challenges are born. It is an ongoing
process,” she said.
This inspired Reem and her husband, Mohammad Afrenji, to
establish a platform that can help other parents who face these difficulties in
their everyday life and light their children’s way with professional help and
courses.
The couple worked on the production, marketing, and technical
sides of establishing the platform. Now, they have an advisory board of
specialists who not only facilitate the scientific verification of content but
also help to provide easily understood content.
According Reem, this can change the lives of these children.
“We want to help them make friends, enter the world of business, or pursue
their education.”
Habaybna.net was established in late 2017, and started out
small, with a budget of JD2000. It hosted only 140 videos and a few articles at
the time. Today, the website is supported by 150 specialists and has a monthly
average of 25,000 visits, and 7,000 registered users. The visits started out
locally, but now Arab users from all around the globe have the chance to join
and benefit from the materials posted.
Habaybna.com, in cooperation with start-up incubator
Oasis500, have a shared goal of reaching millions of people who can create a
better future for their children after registering for the website. “Oasis is
helping us achieve the goals we have always dreamed of,” Reem said. “It is
helping us scale our impact so that we can reach at least 1 million parents.
They are also giving us a hand in serving people in other countries as well.”
The platform contains a public video library that is free
for parents to access anywhere they are. It includes more than 800 videos by
specialists and other parents who share their stories, experiences, and
information about their children. It also features online conversation sessions
where parents can connect with specialists.
Um Hashim Al-Muhtadi, a user of Habaybna.com, from Karak,
has a son suffering from palsy and described Habaybna as “an entire world that
helps you meet all kinds of specialists who aid you and your child step by
step”.
Habaybna also has a weekly morning program on a local TV,
with the aim of reaching thousands of people.
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