They have capabilities that enable them to represent the bright face of Palestine in front of Arabs and foreigners

People with intellectual disabilities and normal tourists “together” in one hotel next to the Cradle of Christ

• The staff of the "Together for Life" hotel has proven its worth in work.

  Emirates today

• The hotel building is an ancient palace dating back to the year 1890. Emirates Today

• Mahira Ghareeb: “The old palace, which is the seat of the hotel, is classified among the 10 archaeological sites in the city of Bethlehem, as it was restored under the supervision of the Heritage Preservation Center in proportion to the privacy of the place, which gave it touches of originality, as it is an ancient Palestinian heritage.”

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A few distances away near the Church of the Nativity of Jesus Christ, peace be upon him, in the city of Bethlehem in the south of the West Bank, young men and women with intellectual disabilities work as a beehive inside a newly opened tourist hotel to be the nucleus of its administration, to receive all Arab and foreign arrivals from within the lands Palestine and beyond.

“Together for Life” is the name of the hotel, through which people with special needs confirm that they are partners in the society of the fittest. The staff are people who have mental disabilities, but they have great determination abilities, which qualifies them to be the bright face of Palestine, in front of the communities of Arab and foreign tourists.

The hotel shares the name of the hotel with the "Together for Life" association, which has been embracing the hotel staff with intellectual disabilities for 13 years, in order for the association to assume the tasks of reintegrating these young people into the society of the misfits, by opening the first hotel from their management, which will be their gateway to prove their worth in an exhausted society. Occupation, and spent his dreams division.

Qualification and establishment

"Emirates Today" visited the "Together for Life" hotel, which is an old palace dating back to the year 1890 next to the Church of the Nativity, which was renovated by the organizers of the "Together for Life" association to receive tourists and visitors, provided that its staff is mentally disabled, who provide a superior performance whether In the departments of reception, management, and hotel services inside the rooms and the restaurant, which witnessed absolute harmony between young men and women of determination and foreign guests, who praised all their distinguished roles, emphasizing their keenness to come again to this hotel, on each visit to the city of the birth of Christ.

Mahira Gharib, director and founder of the “Together for Life” association in Bethlehem, saw the association’s members of persons with intellectual disabilities to be an essential source of production, work and success, and to enable them to do so with the help of some supervisors in the specialized association.

Ghareeb, a specialist in the affairs of people with intellectual disabilities, says, "The (Together for Life) association embraces 40 young men and women with intellectual disabilities over the age of 16, and it undertakes throughout the day the tasks of rehabilitating them and integrating them into society;

And raising their levels of self-confidence, and changing the society’s view of them.”

She points out that the association was established in the year 2009 in Bethlehem, as a branch of the International Association of the Archeologists, and this year the association’s main building was renovated to become a tourist hotel, consisting of 12 double rooms, indicating that the hotel’s financial return covers part of the association’s expenses. To ensure the continuity of its services for people with intellectual disabilities.

The director of the “Together for Life” association notes that the old palace, which is the headquarters of the hotel, is classified among the 10 archaeological places in the city of the cradle of Christ, peace be upon him. An old Palestinian.

According to Gharib, the "Together for Life" hotel was listed on the official "Booking" website for hotels around the world, to ensure its wide reach.

work integration

The director of “Together for Life” explains the mechanism for selecting the staff in the tourist hotel, “The association’s members have autism, and mental disabilities vary between simple and medium, such as autism spectrum or Down syndrome, or from disabilities related to head injuries, and previously we tested their abilities by producing crafts. Hand made of natural wool, and accordingly the association chose some of them to work in the hotel.”

Gharib continues, "In the beginning, we chose three young men and women of the association, whom we have worked on rehabilitating over the past years, to be able to work, and they have proven their complete integration with work in a short time. Supervision of assistants from the association.

She added, "We chose three members because the hotel's capacity is less than the number of all the members of "Together for Life."

bright model

Inside the restaurant of the "Together for Life" hotel, and with great activity, the 27-year-old Mariam Kansan was a bright model for the staff, as she was in charge of arranging and cleaning the breakfast table for a foreign tourist delegation, after she had just finished arranging one of the hotel's double rooms.

Mariam, who suffers from a mental disability, takes over the task of working in the tourist hotel during the morning, where she has to serve breakfast to “Together for Life” guests inside the restaurant, in addition to taking care of the guest rooms daily.

The young woman Kansan says with a wide smile that filled her wide face with joy, "Since I was 16, I joined the (Together for Life) association, and within it I benefited a lot, as it made friendships, developed capabilities, and acquired skills that helped me integrate with other groups of society, and this has benefited me a lot since today. The first is to work inside the corridors of the hotel.”

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