Every Voice Matters

Lebanese, from Akkar; seeking Undergraduate degree in Speech and language therapy and is enrolled at Lebanese University.  

Communicating with others is what sets us apart on the intelligence scheme of things. Animals communicate, and are lucky they don't need speech therapy. Regrettably we do.

What we know though is that every human being must be heard, understood and able to communicate with others. No wonder "solitary confinement" is considered a punishment.

I am Wiam Moussa , a 22-year- old from Lebanon.

Speech impairment hit home when my niece joined grade school. Her impairment led to communication problems with her peers and teachers, and affected her school performance.

It was not only low self esteem; it was difficult for others to understand what she often said. Thanks to a speech pathologist at school, she was able to beat the odds.

Having seen the amazing effect her therapist had on her, I decided to become a speech pathologist. I recently got an admissions to the Lebanese University.

The area I live in lacks speech therapists. There is increased demand for this specialty . Those who want to be treated have to travel long distances to get treatment sessions at a great expense.

By becoming a speech therapist, I will be able to serve persons of all ages: children with genetic or psychological problems and adults who suffered strokes that affected their ability to speak.

I hope I can get your support to serve a severely underserved area. Like many developing countries, most therapists seek to practice in the capital, leaving the periphery lagging behind. I hope I can with your help become a magnet that reverses the trend, and eventually prove that everyone should have a voice.

Why Would Donors Fund You?

The need for therapeutic specialties, including speech therapy, is increasing day by day, because of its importance and urgent need, at a time when its presence is still very little, and it is necessary to travel long distances to get therapeutic sessions.Since every voice deserves to be heard, appeared and understood, I aspire strongly and for years to study speech therapy so as to help those who face speech-related difficulties to get rid of them and that their limits in speech become the limits of the world.

How Do You Plan to Payback?

I will give back to my community, stretching the favor that was done towards me for generations to come.

I will volunteer with schools in underprivileged areas to cover the expenses of speech therapy for needy students. I would also spread awareness about solutions to speech impairment through therapy, as very few people would go the extra mile to resolve that, thinking that the problem would eventually resolve itself with age.

Volunteer Work/Social Capital

I volunteered with Modernity Association in training programs for active citizenship and community participation in the framework of the active citizenship and incubating diversity project in partnership with the Institute for Citizenship.

I also took part in Diversity Management at Adyan Foundation, sponsored by British Embassy in Beirut, and wrote an article on rejecting extremism, for 3 weeks.

I volunteered with the "Sunaa al Hayat" Association in first aid training for a month.

What Have You Done to Improve Yourself? Awards and Achievements

I developed my hobby, which is handmade, mastered the art of resin and epoxy, and used social media sites to publish it, especially on an Instagram page under the name Resin by Zowi, and start receiving customer requests.It is an art concerned with the formation of beautiful models and art forms with a material called resin and adding colors and flowers to this material to give beautiful handicrafts that can be kept.https://www.instagram.com/invites/contact/?i=55eknxk8cd7j&utm_content=n9pduox

I researched Speech Impairment to make sure of its employment prospects.