The CMA CGM Corporate Foundation awards its 2014 Prize to the Lebanese Autism Society (LAS)

The CMA CGM Corporate Foundation grants every year a Prize to two associations, a French and a Lebanese one, for their social and humanitarian work in favor of vulnerable children.

Today, December 22, 2014, the Chair of The CMA CGM Corporate Foundation, Mrs. Naïla Saadé, will be handing over the Foundation annual prize to the Lebanese Autism Society (LAS) at the head office of CMA CGM Liban and Merit.

Founded in 1999 by the parents of autistic children, the Lebanese Autism Society is a forerunner in the field of care to these children in Lebanon and in the Middle East. LAS advocates for the right of autistic children, from their early childhood till adulthood, and provides them with assistance and support through a specialized educational program. It aims at defending the rights of persons with autism and at providing them and their families with the best services.

To date, 91 children and teenagers benefit from school integration programs, from technical courses and vocational training. More than 500 families have resorted to the diagnosis and early intervention center.

The remarkable work performed by the Lebanese Autism Society (LAS) with autistic children, teenagers and young adults touched CMA CGM Corporate Foundation for Childhood which granted them the 2014 Prize.

Naïla Saadé, Chair of CMA CGM Corporate Foundation for Childhood said:

“We were deeply touched by the remarkable work conducted by the Lebanese Autism Society. 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.”

Arwa Halawi, founder and chair of LAS, declared:

“Following the announcement of the 2014 Prize being awarded to the Lebanese Autism Society, « the entire team, the parents and children rejoiced as autism, the little-known, mysterious disease which is still unrecognized by the Lebanese population will finally receive the attention it deserves.”

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 :

• “Himaya” association which receives a subsidy for building an infirmary and for purchasing computers and educational software for the young residents of the new internal resilience center in Mar Chaaya.
• “Assameh" assocation which receives a subsidy for equipping the pediatrics department (30 beds) at Beirut Governmental Hospital (Quarantaine).
• “Braveheart Fund” association which receives a subsidy for performing surgical operations on underprivileged children born with cardiac malformations (Beirut).

About LAS :

The Lebanese Autism Society (LAS) is a non-governmental organization founded in 1999 by parents of children with autism and a number of professionals. To date, the association has more than 600 member families. LAS is also the founding and coordinating member of the Arab Network for Autism (ANA) and of the National Committee for Autism in Lebanon. LAS is a member of different national and international organizations such as UNAPIEI, World Autism Organization (WAO), Autisme-Europe and ARAPI.

Our vision is about the well-being of people suffering from autism in Lebanon. LAS aims at defending the rights of persons suffering from autism from their early childhood till adulthood, and providing them, and their families, with the best services. Our mission translates in the following:

1- Setting the Early Intervention project

2- Promoting the social integration of children and teenagers suffering from autism.

3- Developing the skills of professionals and institutions working with persons suffering from autism in Lebanon.

4- Raising society’s awareness as regards autism.

About the CMA CGM Corporate Foundation for Children:

Created and chaired by Naïla Saadé, the CMA CGM Corporate Foundation helps, since 2005, projects for vulnerable children, providing practical assistance to improve their daily life conditions. It supports social and humanitarian projects by awarding every year in France and in Lebanon, grants to associations that work in favor of ill children, from disadvantaged backgrounds or with disabilities. Sensitive to humanitarian and societal issues affecting many countries, it has also been engaged since 2012 in humanitarian action in Africa and around the world with the Containers of Hope Operation, offering free containerized shipping for humanitarian materials, in partnership with 3 NGOs. For its 10th anniversary in June 2015, the Foundation organizes since October 2014 in France and in Lebanon the Children’s Wednesdays.