Rama, 16, is an orphaned child waiting to be matched with a sponsor. Like so many children in Gaza, her world has completely changed since October 2023.
In September last year, Rama’s father and 4 of her siblings were killed when their home in Gaza City was bombed. Rama lost 1 of her legs and suffered third degree burns in the attack.
“Tala was 17 years old, Ahmed was 15 years old, Abdul Kareem was 9 years old, and the youngest, Maraam, was two-and-a-half years old,” the children’s mother, Fadia, who also lost a leg in the blast, recalls.
‘We suffered a lot’
The family is now just Fadia, Rama, 2 other daughters and 3 sons. The survivors have suffered psychological trauma and life-altering injuries.
“I was injured and came out from under the rubble,” Rama says, adding that the family had to stay in hospital for almost 2 weeks. “There was a lack of medication… it was very hard for us to get treatments, so our wounds took longer to heal. We had no food or drink, so we suffered a lot.”
For Fadia, who is struggling to get by with an ill-fitting prosthetic, meeting her children’s needs is extremely challenging. Rama’s burns require intensive dermatological treatment.
“My daughter needs to see a doctor almost weekly,” Fadia says. “Honestly, her condition is taking its toll. I go to bed crying for her and wake up crying for her.”
Fouad, Rama’s 12-year-old brother, was thrown onto the roof of a neighbour’s home by the force of the blast. Emergency surgery saved his leg from amputation, but he has problems with his spine and knee that require physiotherapy. Fouad helps his mother out by fetching water, but he can’t walk far or carry heavy loads. Like Rama, Fouad is waiting to be matched with a sponsor.
‘There are days when we can’t find food’
Now living in a tent without any source of income, the family are struggling to make ends meet, while grieving their loved ones and coping with their own injuries. The children miss school, and Fadia feels hopeless at times.
“The situation is very difficult, and I don’t know how to sort it out,” she says. “There are days when we can’t find food. Sometimes, we have only a cup of bitter tea to keep going. If good people give us food, we have something to eat, if no one gives us anything, we don’t eat. The situation is very difficult.”
Sponsorship won’t heal the family’s physical and emotional scars, but we can help ease their burden, providing money that they can use to buy food and seek much-needed medical care. As they struggle to keep surviving and piece their lives back together, Rama still dreams of her future. With your support, we can help her get there.
Struggles and dreams
“Now I am struggling a lot with education. All my friends are carrying on with their studies, but in my current condition, I cannot go to the temporary education tents – the roads in Gaza are not suitable for my wheelchair.
“I don’t have a mobile and we have no internet. My academic level has dropped from before, I’m not able to maintain it. I used to memorise the Qur’an, and I learned many chapters. Now I’m unable to keep up with learning. I’m sad when I think about how I used to be and how I am now.
“My ambition was to become a translator and learn a lot of languages. Inshallah, we find a sponsor for me so I can work on myself and achieve my dreams.”
Islamic Relief is already a lifeline for more than 21,000 orphaned children in Gaza, but more than 7,000 children like Rama are in our system waiting to be matched with a sponsor.
Be a lifeline for Gaza’s orphans. Please donate today – Palestinian children need your help now.
