A life in constant fear can give way to hope
Many children living in active war zones witness highly traumatising events like extreme levels of violence, loss of loved ones, displacement and lack of essential services.
Attacks on their homes, schools, healthcare facilities and other infrastructure lead to constant fear which could haunt them for the rest of their lives. But with the right support, they can start to recover and rebuild their futures.
As needs continue to grow rapidly, together we can stand with children caught in conflict.
Injury, trauma, displacement
Seven-year-old Rami* is a child caught in a war zone. With his family he was severely injured when a bomb hit the house they were sheltering in at the Gaza strip. Five members of his extended family were killed.
Rami sustained injuries to his head and leg, and each member of his family suffered injuries.
That was just the start of their nightmare. At the hospital they were taken to in Gaza, there were limited supplies of medicine. Dad Jamal shares, “People were queuing in the surgery room like they were lining up to buy bread.”
The horrors they experienced led not only to physical wounds but emotional scars, bringing nightmares, trauma and distress.
Mum Heba says, “Ever since the war started, the children have been traumatised. They fear the sound of shelling and bombing … ever since [Rami] got injured, he’s turned into a child who fears any noise, the darkness, he can’t go to the bathroom alone and he can’t be alone.”
Rami’s sisters are gripped by the same fear. Heba adds:
“Ever since the war, the girls have had higher heart rates and are scared and think death is just around the corner. Every night (when they were in Gaza) they would tell me it was going to be their last night. They always thought they would die.”
In every conflict around the world, it’s a nightmare that’s sadly common for every child. In places like Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan or Syria, children’s lives have been upended, the joys of their childhood snatched away.
But with help from a global community of caring supporters, children are showing their incredible resilience, even in the toughest situations.
Hope returns, dreams for the future follow
With help from kind supporters like you, Rami’s family now look to the future with hope. They have left Gaza and arrived in a safer place , where they were treated at a public hospital.
Our teams were able to provide physiotherapy for Rami and his mum, connecting them with a doctor to help with Rami’s leg. They receive regular follow up health checks, making sure they are well on the road to recover physically and emotionally.