As a baby, Hanaa, now eight years old, lost her mother to kidney failure when her dialysis machine failed during a power cut. One of her aunts took her in until she was visited by another aunt, Nimah, who found her in a harrowing condition – malnourished, emaciated, traumatised, and eating her own body out of starvation.
Nimah and her husband, Abdullah, took Hanaa in, caring for her as their own, despite struggling to care for their own daughters, one of whom has disabilities.
Our Where Most Needed Fund allows us to respond immediately to save and preserve the lives of families or people in extreme and critical need. It means we could get Hanaa seen by a specialist doctor immediately, without having to raise funds specifically for her.
We hired two doctors to assess and treat Hanaa - plastic surgeon to perform her operation, and a consultant who monitored her health for two months afterwards. We also provided regular psychological support sessions to Hanaa, monthly cash assistance for her family, as well as a food parcel for the whole family each month, which we’re continuing until the summer.
It cost around £3,500 to transform Hanaa’s life and support her family for the year, but our special cases are never about cost – they’re about saving the lives of people in extreme suffering.
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Another 13p goes back into raising funds – that allows us to be ready to raise awareness at a moment’s notice when tragedy strikes.
Finally, and most importantly, 78p out of every £1 you donate goes straight to helping the most vulnerable people. Between 2019 and 2021, we grew our income by a huge 186%, allowing us to support an extra 2.8 million people, by raising funds through that small 13 pence.
Charity is a gift, offering endless mercy to those who give, as well as mercy to the vulnerable people who receive it. Our admin fee helps us to get your donation to where you intended it. That’s why we like to think of it as the stamp on the envelope of your mercy.
How does our admin fee support this project?
From the very start – during project design – to the very end – during implementation and testing in the field. Our admin fee enabled our programme officers to support Hanaa and her family across all their needs. Through specialist assessments, consultations, we arranged Hanaa’s reconstructive surgery, as well as weekly psychological support to help her begin to recover from her trauma. We also provided psychological support sessions for Nimah and Abdullah, to help them learn to support Hanaa’s recovery.
We’re also providing monthly food parcels and cash assistance for the whole year, allowing Nimah and Abdullah’s entire family to eat well, and have money to cover the cost of clothes, shelter, and running the home.
In the coming months, we’re working to get Hanaa back into school, helping her to make up for lost time and build a brighter future.
It’s also what keeps us accountable, allowing all our projects to go through thorough financial regulation, monitoring, and evaluation, so that we can report back to partners, regulators, local authorities, and to you, ensuring that we’re always accountable for any donations or support we accept.
Elham is a psychological support volunteer at the Red Crescent in Sana’a, Yemen. She’s been helping Hanaa to overcome her trauma.
The first time I saw Hanaa she had scars, and showed signs of having experienced violence, both physical and psychological, including scars on her face. She didn’t have a septum in her nose, half of her lips were gone, and many wounds on her face.
She was very afraid of the colour red, of darkness, and of loud noises. She isn’t able to remember simple things, even the words for toys. She also doesn’t know how to tell apart clothes, such as the difference between a pair of trousers and a dress.
Elham is a psychological support volunteer at the Red Crescent in Sana’a, Yemen. She’s been helping Hanaa to overcome her trauma.
The first time I saw Hanaa she had scars, and showed signs of having experienced violence, both physical and psychological, including scars on her face. She didn’t have a septum in her nose, half of her lips were gone, and many wounds on her face.
She was very afraid of the colour red, of darkness, and of loud noises. She isn’t able to remember simple things, even the words for toys. She also doesn’t know how to tell apart clothes, such as the difference between a pair of trousers and a dress.
I used colour therapy to help Hanaa – we know she has a fear of red, most likely from having witnessed bloody scenes. I used games to help her to step away from her fear, and separation techniques to help her overcome her fear of sounds. We popped balloons, used pictures for her memory, played with a ball and chairs, did doll therapy. Games are an exercise that challenge the idea that she is powerless.
I’ve had cases of children who were affected by the war, who had to leave their homes and schools and were forced to live a life that they weren’t used to, without their toys and things.
In this country, we all need psychological support. Parents must have support too – our problem in this society is that we support children, but not the family. When you do that, you set things off balance, because, in most cases, the trauma starts with the parents. They are the ones who determine if a child learns trauma, or learns to avoid it.
“When I visited my sister, I found Hanaa in a dire situation,” said Nimah, “I wept for her when I saw her.
“She’d eaten parts of her own body because of severe starvation. She couldn’t even move. She looked dead. She used to tear at her face and eat her lips. I wanted to take her with me and my husband agreed.
“I took care of her. I used to spend nights sitting by her side. I was so relieved to see her spirits improve.”
Human Appeal provided facial reconstruction surgery to Hanaa; her grandmother is overjoyed at the transformation to Hanaa’s happiness.
“I cry and laugh looking at her feeling comfortable, how she used to be and how she is now,” she told us. “Her psychological condition was bad before you helped us – alhamdulilah, alhamdulilah, thank you.
“After the operation she was better, may Allah reward those who helped us with only good.”
Nimah’s husband, Abdullah, recalls, “We did as much as we could to bring Hanaa back to life – she was like the walking dead. I provide for her as if she were my own daughter. We did what we could to take care of her, as an orphan, but you were even greater, sponsoring and caring for her as if she were your own daughter, may Allah reward you.
“I work sanding walls, but I don’t find work every day. We strive to make ends meet, but we come back from the market without what the children need – it’s heart-breaking for our daughters.”
“Since the reconstructive surgery there has been a huge difference. I feel comfortable and reassured, and every time I look at Hanaa my tears fall.
“To all who helped, may God reward you with the best of a thousand rewards… and God’s peace and mercy be upon you.”
