TEHRAN – Iranian doctor Azadeh Abbasi plans to lead a group of children with Down syndrome to embellish a 20-meter long wall with their paintings in the northern Iranian city of Rezvanshahr in Gilan Province next week.
Down syndrome is a genetic condition in which a person has 47 chromosomes instead of the usual 46, and that is why the wall is due to be named “Wall 47”, Abbasi told the Persian service of MNA on Wednesday.
“Children with Down syndrome have a shorter life expectancy. I have been working with these children for about 6 years and have always wondered why they do not receive sufficient help and support,” she added.
Most of these children suffer deep depression when they grow up but their participation in group activities helps lift up their spirits, she said, adding that the project helps them transfer their thoughts and feelings onto the wall.
“Most of the walls across the large cities are filled with a variety of advertisements, so why not have a wall dedicated to children with Down syndrome to explain about these children and raise people’s awareness about them?” she asked.
About 18 children of this group live in Rezvanshahr, and that is why we chose this city, however Rezvanshahr Municipality has generously cooperated in carrying the project, she concluded.
RM/YAW
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