Amal, is a 20-year-old young woman with a physical disability. AMAL lives with her family of seven, in Bethlehem, West Bank. AMAL’s disability is congenital; a medical condition known as Progeroid Syndrome (PS) which is a rare genetic disorder that mimics physiological ageing, making affected individuals appear to be older than they are.

Her disability had very adverse consequences on her life; it affected her physically, medically and psychosocially. The psychosocial impacts, which were concluded following the initial assessment conducted by the EJYMCA psychosocial counsellor, included constant emotions of grief and depression. Also, the basic daily life activities were highly challenging for her. Therefore, she opted to isolate herself in the house, causing additional emotions of depression and hopelessness. Things went worse over the fragile economic situation of the household; she could not pursue her university studies, and so, she quit. Shortly, her future seemed ambiguous with no light at the end of the tunnel.  

Following the assessment of needs, the psychosocial counsellor developed a tailored intervention plan that included engaging AMAL with intensive psychosocial counselling sessions. Through those sessions, Amal had her self-esteem enhanced, and-gradually- retrieved her psychosocial wellbeing. The counselling also helped her strengthen family relations by equipping her with good communication skills. This did not only help her in retrieving communication and interaction at the domestic level, but also at the social level, which was manifested in increased social engagement. 

Besides the psychosocial rehabilitation, Amal was engaged in medical rehabilitation; she was referred to receive physiotherapy sessions, resulting in an enhanced medical condition. She was also offered an assistive medical device for the back to support the spine. 

At the vocational rehabilitation level; she received vocational assessment sessions to determine the most fitting vocational field compared to her competencies and physical and mental capabilities. Results of the assessment indicated that the most appropriate vocational field was beauty and hairdressing. Thus, she was referred to a vocational training center to receive an extended course. During her training, she showed a high level of commitment and dedication and hence the course was successfully completed. Moreover, during her training, she managed to establish new friendships with her colleagues and that led to harnessing the achievements gained at the psychosocial rehabilitation level. 

Finally, the EJYMCA-RP offered her a self-employment project; her own beauty salon. Her family renovated a room next to the residence to be used for the project, and all needed salon tools were provided by the program to help her start her own business.