Hello! This is Nour Ahmed and we are raising money for four individuals via the Electronic Limbs Project - prosthetic services for the children of Gaza who have had limbs amputated because of severe injuries caused by the bombing. We are also supporting Restless Beings and their team on the ground in Gaza distributing aid to displaced civilians.
**We are being supported by friends in the UK who are organising a RUN4GAZA event in London on Sunday 10th December, where participants can donate here and join the run**
The bombing has caused significant damage to the Sheikh Hamad Hospital, which is the main treatment facility for such injuries. The hospital is considered one of the important medical facilities in Gaza and works to empower patients and provide rehabilitation services, prosthetics and physical and occupational therapy and also has speech, hearing and psychological rehabilitation departments. It is the home of the Electronic Limbs Project. We are coordinating with the authorities in Doha and UAE to try and arrange for medical convoys for those in need of prosthetic treatment.
As you might have seen from the images coming from Gaza, many children have lost limbs. Because of the blockade and the collapse of the healthcare system, some have faced the severe pain of amputations without any anaesthetic. Facing a life ahead without use of one or more limbs is incredibly traumatic. Prosthetic limbs can provide a patient with confidence and an ability to move around and enjoy the world as others do. The funds raised here will contribute to travel and treatment costs for the victims. The latest assessment is that hundreds of civilians require prosthetic treatment, and in reality, it might be many more. We hope to help four victims specifically who are in desperate need to travel and get medical care, and if enough money is raised, perhaps we can help more.
The money will be used for
- travel via medical convoy to Doha/UAE
- rehabilitation and physical therapy
- psychological therapy to help with recovery
- basic needs from accommodation, food, water, toiletries/sanitary products, shoes
Some questions that have arisen
Will the patients be allowed to leave for treatment?
Currently mercy missions are being coordinated by officials from Qatar and UAE. Cancer patients and those with critical conditions are being prioritised. We have been assured that other patients will follow, although there is a lot of uncertainty over how long the pause will last and whether there will be another bombardment after that.
Will the money be used for treatment?
There are doctors throughout the region who have offered their services. The money is primarily to pay for travel, basic needs and the treatment and therapy required after surgery. Being fitted with a prosthetic limb is only the first stage in a long journey to recovery and a life with more movement. These patients are currently homeless and without the basic necessities for life.
Will the patients be allowed to return to Gaza?
This is an unknown. Currently the international community is standing against a forced expulsion from Gaza. However, as is already the case with the patients on the first mercy missions, there is no certainty on when and if they will be allowed to return, or what they will be returning to. That is why we’re trying to raise this money, as they face some time away from their home (or where their homes were) where they will need accommodation and resources.
In the interest of complete transparency we will issue regular updates, providing as much information as possible without compromising the safety and privacy of the patients.
*All funds will be held by Crowdfunder until the travel and treatment logistics are secured and confirmed.
This fundraiser is managed by Nour Ahmed And Farah Mohamed, international aid workers in the Occupied Territories and Doha.