The “Hajar” Association Launches a Solidarity Initiative to Support Children with Primary Immunodeficiency

The “Hajar” Association launches a solidarity initiative to support children with primary immunodeficiency

The Hajar Association for Helping Children with Primary Immunodeficiency has launched a wide-ranging solidarity initiative, symbolically coinciding with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. This initiative includes the distribution of specially designed mobile chairs for children suffering from severe motor disorders due to their condition.

This humanitarian step is part of an urgent response to critical needs identified by the association’s office members. The aim of the initiative is to improve the living conditions of these children, allowing them greater mobility and independence, thereby facilitating their access to education and social life, while providing them with a minimum level of comfort in their daily activities.

The impact of this initiative extends beyond the direct beneficiaries; it also alleviates the daily burden borne by the families of these children, who dedicate themselves to overcoming the challenges posed by the illness.

Children from various regions in the Kingdom benefit from this initiative, including those from Beni Mellal, Mohammedia, Mediouna, Chefchaouen, Taroudant, El Jadida, Casablanca, Agadir, Settat, and Fez, all of whom are affected by primary immunodeficiency, a rare disease that leads to progressive and irreversible loss of coordination.

In this context, Bouchra Benhiyoune, President of the Hajar Association, emphasized that organizing this initiative immediately after the International Day of Persons with Disabilities gives it a special significance and conveys a clear message of inclusion, support, and recognition of the rights of these children and their families.

This activity is part of the ongoing commitment of the Hajar Association to improve the quality of life for children with primary immunodeficiency and to ensure their full integration within their family, educational, and social environments.

It is worth noting that the Hajar Association was founded in 1997, stemming from a poignant humanitarian story involving the first girl diagnosed with this rare disease in Morocco, whose condition required a bone marrow transplant. Since then, the association has evolved into a leading actor in supporting children with primary immunodeficiency, in close partnership with the Pediatric Department of the University Hospital for Children in Casablanca.

In 2010, the association marked a pivotal moment by overseeing the first successful bone marrow transplant in Morocco for a child suffering from this condition. The association bases its work on the values of solidarity, commitment, compassion, and dignity, and is an active member of the Moroccan Alliance for Rare Diseases and the International Organization for Patients with Primary Immunodeficiency.