Tawasol – August 2021 issue

‘Tawasol’ (which translates to ‘communicate’) is our newsletter for MS organisations in the Arab region. Each issue features news from MS organisations, as well as a profile of a person who is involved with the MS movement.

The July 2021 issue of Tawasol includes news shared by 13 organisations in 7 countries (Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq, Algeria, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia).

Arfa MS Society held many events. The activities of the Tabayn Forum were launched, which was organised by Arfa supported by the First Health Gathering in the region. Arfa also organised a campaign, “Be strong for you”, on the occasion of World MS Day, with the participation and help of some local restaurants, cafes and commercial markets.

FMUASEP continued working on getting licensing and approving the statistics of people with MS at the Moroccan Ministry of Health in Rabat. FMUASEP also dedicated an electronic portal on its website to record the data of each patient inside Morocco and to create a unique medical booklet that tracks the patient’s condition and stages of treatment.

Tunisian MS Organisation continued its activities online. It became a member of the World Patients Alliance. In addition, the organisation participated in a virtual training course about the Exchange of International Experiences with MS Organisations.

In celebration of World MS Day, the Algerian Federation organised working sessions with psychologists, where a psychologist supervised groups of people with MS to discuss their concerns. The Algerian Federation also cooperated with a local organisation of medical students to explain MS to the audience.

The MS Cyclists Team resumed its weekly program to achieve many goals for cyclists to exceed 20 kilos in the next stage. In addition, several community partnerships were signed to support the team’s annual program in its second edition; Sports is a lifestyle.

The Administrative Board of People with MS Organisation- Aden held its periodic meeting where it discussed the activity and business at the internal and external levels, evaluating the percentage of work provided for the benefit of patients from help and assistance and strengthening the relevant relations at the local and external levels.

Al-Hanaa Organisation for people with MS in Fez has completed its activities supporting people with MS, as the organisation participated in an article in a scientific journal to introduce and raise awareness of the MS and introduce the organisation’s goals and efforts. In addition, the organisation participated in a meeting with a pharmaceutical laboratory to discuss ways of treatment, medications and patients’ experiences and its relationship to the COVID.

Al-Hayat MS Society organised an awareness campaign called A message from People with MS to the Society, where volunteers from different organisations participated in helping to introduce symptoms of MS that the patient suffers from and the importance of early diagnosis. A medical lecture was also organised on the organisation’s official page on Facebook to talk about the mechanism of different MS treatments from one patient to another.

The Yemeni MS Society held several activities, events, seminars and workshops, beginning with the follow-up of the Ministry of Public Health and Population on the mechanism of offering medicines to facilitate the patient’s access to treatment.

Nouran Association for Multiple Sclerosis of Setif Province, a meeting was held within the framework of the local bloc of associations. During the meeting, the following points were discussed: introducing the bloc and its goals, the invitation to participate in the local consultative committee to be announced, the invitation to participate in various awareness-raising activities about various obstacles and the risks facing people with disabilities.

Jeddah MS Group worked on spreading awareness and achieving the highest standards of benefit in partnership with a Moen Team and Eaan Team by publishing posts on Instagram to allow people with MS to express their feelings and worries and to change some wrong views about the MS. Also, a video showing the journey of two people with MS champions was published by the end of May.

The Lebanese Friends of MS Society participated in the 13th annual session to exchange international experiences with other organisations. In addition, the organisation broadcasted a live stream on its Facebook page with Professor Halim Abboud, who talked about different topics regarding MS.

ALISEP organised some events, including live streaming with Professor Salam Kossa titled COVID-19 and the Vaccine for People with MS. Another live streaming with Professor Michel Sophia, a psychiatrist, and a meeting via the Zoom with officials from Social Security, the Ministry of Health, the Staff Cooperative dealing with comprehensive data on the beneficiaries of MS treatments, medicines and access to treatment.

Ashwaq from Iraq and Mohammed and Nadia from Yemen shared with us their experience with MS and how they managed to work and perform their daily activities with MS. Doctors from different countries shared some advice through sessions and workshops organised by different organisations aiming to support people with MS especially during the COVID-19 situation.

You can download a PDF version in Arabic here: Tawasol issue 29

You can also view the full newsletter in Arabic here: