His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday visited Masharea town in the Northern Jordan Valley and checked on its residents, issuing directives to improve their living conditions and to upgrade the services offered to persons with disabilities there.

King Abdullah ordered the construction of a care centre to rehabilitate people with disabilities, to be completed within a year.

His Majesty also issued directives to study the conditions of persons with disabilities in the town, located some 96km north of Amman, and to provide quality services to them through the concerned institutions.

The King ordered that 16 houses be built for the most impoverished families and that a number of homes be renovated in Masharea, where poverty and unemployment rates are significantly high.

In addition, His Majesty issued directives to provide assistance and the necessary care to a number of families that include members with disabilities, and to prepare a comprehensive plan for sustainable local development by assessing the available opportunities and utilising the town’s resources in cooperation with elected councils and local communities.

The King stopped at the home of Samir Khashan’s six-member family, including two people with disabilities.

His Majesty ordered measures to improve the family’s living conditions by building a house for its members and providing the proper care for those with disabilities.

The King also visited Ashab Al Himam Society for people with disabilities and was briefed by its president, Adnan Kafreini, on the services it provides and the difficulties it faces due to the large number of persons with disabilities in the town as a result of health and hereditary conditions.

His Majesty ordered that all the society’s needs be covered in terms of physiotherapy equipment, wheelchairs, toys, and computers, issuing directives to conduct full maintenance to the society’s building in order to enable the institution to continue to serve the local community.

Established in 2011, the society’s building includes a school that receives students from kindergarten to the sixth grade, integrating children with disabilities among its 235 students.

The society is also implementing a 10-year plan to expand and integrate students with disabilities into middle and secondary school classes.

Royal Hashemite Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, Director of the Office of His Majesty Jafar Hassan, Royal Hashemite Court Secretary General Yousef Issawi, and Social Development Minister Hala Bseiso Lattouf accompanied the King during the visit.