[040115.EN.SEA] CMA CGM Charity Honours Lebanese Autism Society

THE Lebanese Autism Society (LAS) has received the CMA CGM Corporate Foundation for Childhood 2014 award for its social and humanitarian work in support of vulnerable children.

The prize was presented at the head office of CMA CGM Liban and Merit by the chairwoman of the foundation, Naila Saade.

Founded in 1999 by the parents of autistic children, LAS is a forerunner in the field of care to these children in Lebanon and the Middle East.

The society advocates for the right of autistic children, from early childhood through to adulthood, and provides them with assistance and support through a specialised educational programme, a statement from the French shipping group said.

To date 91 children and teenagers have benefitted from the school integration programmes, including technical courses and vocational training.

"We were deeply touched by the remarkable work conducted by the Lebanese Autism Society," said Mrs Saade.

"Their field of intervention is wide and comprehensive through diagnosis and early intervention targeting young children, vocational training for a better social integration of young teenagers, and raising the population's awareness on autism."

In 2014, the CMA CGM Corporate Foundation also helped three other Lebanese associations, which won the call for projects aimed at "improving the daily lives of children suffering from sickness and trauma."

They are: the "Himaya" association which received a subsidy for building an infirmary and for purchasing computers and educational software for the young residents of the new internal resilience centre in Mar Chaaya.

The association "Assameh" received a subsidy for equipping the paediatrics department at Beirut Governmental Hospital with 30 beds.

Finally, the "Braveheart Fund" was granted a subsidy for performing surgical operations on underprivileged children born with cardiac malformations in Beirut.

Source : HKSG.