Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has marked World Autism Awareness Day, celebrated globally on April 2 every year.
Friday, QRCS’s premises were lit in blue, in solidarity with the worldwide campaign to raise awareness about autism, call for the social integration of persons with autism, and promote their rights as equal individuals who need special care to live normally.
This celebration "reflects QRCS’s great attention paid to vulnerable groups, as a top priority for its strategy of development locally and internationally, inspired by its mission of saving lives and preserving dignity", QRCS has said in a press statement.
QRCS offers a wide range of assistance for persons with autism and other vulnerable groups. These include payment of costs of treatment for poor patients, programmes and events addressed to persons with disabilities (including autism), mobilisation of resources to empower those persons and meet their needs, and contribution to the programmes of the government health authorities in this respect.
Out of Qatar, QRCS selects the most vulnerable persons to benefit from its humanitarian aid, with a special focus on patients, widows, orphans, special needs and other beneficiaries.
In a statement, António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, said: “As we work together to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, one key goal must be to build a more inclusive and accessible world that recognises the contributions of all people, including persons with disabilities. The crisis has created new obstacles and challenges. But efforts to reignite the global economy offer an opportunity to reimagine the workplace to make diversity, inclusion and equity a reality.
"Recovery is also a chance to rethink our systems of education and training to ensure that persons with autism are afforded opportunities for realising their potential.
“To truly leave no one behind in pursuit of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, we must realise the rights of all persons with disabilities, including persons with autism, ensuring their full participation in social, cultural and economic life. Let us work together with all persons with disabilities and their representative organisations to find innovative solutions to recover better and build a better world for all."
