Offering help to maimed Palestinian children

Sheikh Mohammed's charity and a relief fund provide prostheses as well as emergency aid to Palestinians under siege.

Ahmed Abdul Aziz, 10, from Janin, West Bank, lost his arm at the age of three, while playing with an olive oil press at home.

DUBAI // Islam Samouh lost more than his right arm after suffering a severe electric shock while trying to raise the Palestinian flag on the roof of his home in Hebron. Islam, 10, was shunned by his friends, and having to learn to write with his left hand has meant he has fallen behind at school. But as one of seven children from the West Bank who finished their treatment in Dubai last week after being fitted with prosthetic limbs, Islam has new hope.

The children were brought to Dubai on Dec 24 in a joint initiative by the Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF) and the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment. Five more children were due to come from Gaza but were not given permission to leave because of the Israeli siege. It is hoped they will come as soon as the political situation allows. After several surgeries to try to save Islam's badly infected and injured arm, his local doctors had no alternative but to amputate as the medical expertise and resources to save it were not available.

The trip to Dubai has also raised his spirits. Islam still plays football and while in Dubai he went to see his hero, Ronaldinho, and AC Milan play Hamburg in their recent friendly. He and the other six children have also been skiing and horse riding. Islam has been in the sea for the first time and has been bowling twice, using his healthy left hand, which he is slowly retraining. Islam's mother is pregnant so he made the journey with his aunt. But unlike the shy, nervous boy who last month left the Palestinian Territories for the first time, Islam is smiling and zooming around Dubai in the new roller trainers given to him by one of the volunteers.

He has been fitted with an arm which, although heavy and awkward for him at the moment, in time he will be able to use to pick up objects. Now Islam is looking forward to going home and telling his friends he has two hands again. Ibrahim Bu Melha, an adviser to Sheikh Mohammed, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said: "It's been a big success for us to bring these children here to Dubai. They are all leaving with smiles on their faces.

"This is one of the most important schedules of ours right now, one of our priorities. We want to bring many more children here for treatment and it will be a continuous programme." Hovhannes Tshughuryan, a children's specialist from the Fine Orthopaedic and Body Care centre in Oud Metha, has made the seven prostheses in 15 days. Mr Tshughuryan has treated more than 16,000 patients since he began his career 20 years ago with the German Red Cross, and said the most important part of the children's care is their rehabilitation, which takes some children two or three days and others just a few hours.

"If you don't have rehabilitation, it's like having a Rolls-Royce and not being able to drive," Mr Tshughuryan said. "These children are so clever, brave and determined. They all have a big wish to walk, to use their new arms. They have started off ashamed but now they can go back home with much more confidence." The children will be able to use the prostheses as they are for two to three years, but the limbs are built to be adapted as they grow.

One of the older children, Haitham Yahyeah, 15, from Jenin, has already become used to his new arm. Haitham was born with only one arm because of a genetic disease. Because he is older and stronger, he learnt to use the German-made mechanical arm within hours and said he finally felt equal to his friends. "I've become so used to it now that it feels strange without it," he said. "It's a part of me already. I can finally give my right arm a rest. It's been working so hard for the last 15 years so it's time my new arm took over."

Ahmed Abdul Aziz, 10, of Jenin, lost his arm when he was three years old when it was caught in an olive press. And Rolla Fataftah, 15, from Hebron, had to have her foot amputated after she developed gangrene at one year of age. Rolla had a more complicated fitting than the other children as she needed to have her hips rebalanced and required a longer period of rehabilitation. She now walks with no pain and is guaranteed a better quality of life with the chance to do more strenuous exercise.

Last week, in partnership with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and the PCRF, the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment sent 56,000 cans of milk to war-torn Gaza for refugees in the UNRWA schools. They are also delivering vital medical supplies such as anaesthetics and painkillers to Gaza's biggest hospital, Al Shifa, and providing 10 fully equipped intensive-care unit beds, each costing Dh190,000 (US$51,722).

Mr Bu Melha said: "This is the first step of our operation regarding Gaza. As the situation develops and we identify the next steps necessary, we will evaluate and implement our consequent plans. For now, we assessed that milk and medication were of most urgent importance." Nadia Wehbe, a spokeswoman for the PCRF, said: "Without the commitment that we've had from our volunteers ... we couldn't have done this.

"It's been a huge project but a great success. We've had a lot of support from the community, both businesses and individuals. It's terrible we couldn't get the children out of Gaza but we will have many more from there when we can in the future. We are looking forward to the next round of children." PCRF has so far collected Dh840,000 to send to Gaza, with the goal of achieving Dh1million by the time the campaign finishes on Tuesday.

It raised Dh103,000 at Imagenation's six screenings of Journey to Mecca this month at the Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi. [e-mail]