PH Embassy in Damascus Hosts Fun Run to Culminate Women’s Month, Raises Awareness about Women with Disabilities

The Philippine Embassy held a 5-km Fun Run for Raising Awareness on Women with Disabilities around Tishreen Park in Damascus. (Damascus PE photo)

DAMASCUS 06 April 2022 — The Philippine Embassy in Damascus hosted a 5-kilometer Fun Run to raise awareness about women with disabilities at the biggest park in Damascus, Syria, Tishreen Park on 30 March 2022, in observance of the Women With Disabilities Day on 28 March 2022 and in line with the culmination of the National Women’s Month Celebration.

Consistent with the Women With Disabilities Day, the team dined at a unique restaurant called Roots “Juzour.” Run by a nonprofit organization under the same name, Roots employs persons with disabilities, including women. According to their representative, Ms. Souhaileh Mouhtaseb Bellah, this is the only restaurant in Syria that employs persons with disabilities. Mrs. Mouhtaseb Bellah also informed the Embassy about the latest event of the organization to celebrate International Women’s Day under the theme "Iron Butterfly.” Here, strong and inspiring women took to the stage of the Al-Assad Library and spoke about their story to prove that they are women of iron and were able to overcome all circumstances and difficulties and achieve their dreams on the ground with determination and strong will, while still being gentle and soft like a butterfly.

Roots focuses on the development and psychosocial support for all segments of Syrian society. Their activities range from extending assistance to vulnerable segments of the Syrian society, developing their skills, providing shelter and job opportunities for them. The Roots restaurant is one of the projects of the organization that helps raise funds to sustain the organization’s operations and advocacies. The Embassy showed support to the nonprofit by extending financial donation. The Embassy regularly conducts wellness activities for staff care and health promotion. END

The Embassy personnel with the employees of the Roots restaurant, the only restaurant in Syria that employs persons with disability. (Damascus PE photo)

Chargé d' Affaires, a.i Verzosa with Roots “Juzour” representative, Ms. Souhaileh Mouhtaseb Bellah. (Damascus PE photo)

For more information, visit https://www.damascuspe.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHinSyria/, https://twitter.com/PHinSyria or https://www.instagram.com/phinsyria/.