Saisa’s leg was amputated after an unknown critter stung or bit her foot, causing a serious infection. With help from Humanity & Inclusion, she is learning to get back on her feet and has already returned to school.

Saisa, 10, lives with her parents and seven brothers and sisters in Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp. At a birthday party near her home, Saisa was bitten or stung on her left foot. After the injury, her leg became gangrenous and required a life-saving amputation.

"Saisa was 2 years old when we arrived in Kakuma,” says her mother, Rihad. “My daughter was in good health. And then this happened. One day she went to play with her friends and the next morning she told us she’d been bitten or stung by something. We don't know what. At first, I thought she’d had a nightmare, but then things got worse.

“We took her to hospital, but we were under lockdown because of Covid-19, so we were sent away before she could be treated. Back home, her leg started to swell up and got worse, so we returned to hospital."

The doctors spotted the first signs of gangrene and, to save her life, amputated her leg below the knee.

A support network

Humanity & Inclusion’s physical therapists immediately began providing Saisa with the care she needed. She was also given psychological support to cope with the distress of losing her leg. Saisa continues to visit Humanity & Inclusion’s rehabilitation center, where she is supported by a multidisciplinary team.

“I first met Saisa just two days after her amputation,” explains Stella Mwende, a physical therapist. “We initially focused on treating her stump and giving her emergency psychological support. She was then referred to the rehabilitation center, where she was given rehabilitation care once a week. We started by doing exercises with her to increase her flexibility and strengthen her muscles. We also gave her a pair of crutches.”

Saisa has already learned to keep her balance and get around using the crutches. Humanity & Inclusion also built parallel bars at her home to help in her recovery.

“Saisa can go out and play with her friends at last without me running after her all the time,” her mother says.

Humanity & Inclusion teams also supported Saisa’s family through this tough time, explaining the different stages of grief that Saisa was experiencing. Her family learned how to reassure her and encourage her to learn new skills and become more independent.

“I found the hospital really stressful because I thought I was going to lose her,” Saisa’s mother explains. “Once we got home, some people from Humanity & Inclusion came and now my daughter feels more hopeful about the future.”

Back to school

Humanity & Inclusion’s inclusive education team also helped find a place for Saisa at an inclusive school near her home.

“We’ve put a plan in place so Saisa can return to school under the right conditions,” explains Caleb Omollo, an occupational therapist. “The first decision, which we took with Saisa and her family, was to transfer her to a school closer to home, where the teachers are trained in inclusive education and are used to assisting children with disabilities. We have assigned an educational assistant to monitor her progress at school and to look after her welfare both inside and outside the classroom.”

Saisa walks to school each day with a classmate named Ana.

"We’ve also put in place a system to make sure Saisa feels safe on the way to school,” adds Caleb. “We want Saisa to feel she belongs to her school and her community as soon as possible, so she can play a full role in every aspect of society.”

She also attends psychotherapy sessions to help her rebuild her confidence and reconnect with others.

“We work on her interaction with other children, and we help them learn from each other,” Caleb says.

Saisa is now waiting to be fitted with a prosthetic leg from another service provider, which should happen soon. Humanity & Inclusion will continue to support Saisa with the services she needs to move forward.

“It’ll be good to play with my friends again when I get my prosthesis,” Saisa says. "I'm really glad to be back at school again now. I want to be a businesswoman when I grow up and sell a lot of things!”

Header image: Saisa completes classwork at school. Inline image: Saisa with her mother. Copyright: A. Patient/HI

After Riad, 20, lost his leg in a shooting, he feared that he could not care for his family. Today, with the help of Humanity & Inclusion’s psychosocial support, physical therapy and a new prosthetic leg, he can’t wait to show his family what he can do.

On February 15, Riad and his family heard gunfire outside of their house in the Central African Republic. The shooting continued for hours, so they fled in search of safety. Like many others, they sought refuge in a mosque in Bambari. But their safety was short-lived, as gunmen soon entered and opened fire on the families inside, taking several innocent lives. Riad was shot twice, once in his left ankle and once in his right leg. He lay wounded on the ground until the next day, too afraid to seek help until then. By the time he was taken to the hospital, his injury had become so severe that his right leg was amputated 21 days later.

The operation was a success, but Riad worried about the future. He lives with his mother, his siblings and their children in Bambari. His greatest fear after losing his leg was that he would not be able to take care of his family. After the amputation, Humanity & Inclusion psychosocial specialists helped him overcome his fears, cope with the pain, and start adjusting to life with a disability.

Always accompanied by his older brother, Riad has been attending physical therapy with Humanity & Inclusion specialists twice a week in Bambari. Ready for an artificial leg, Humanity & Inclusion recently paid for the brothers to visit the Central African Republic’s only fitting center in Bangui.

“I can’t wait to receive my prosthesis,” Riad said during his fittings. “I hope to be able to walk again and take care of my mother. I’ll be able to go get food and spend my day working outside of the house. I think I’ll feel brave again.”

After a week of casts and learning to walk again, Riad received his new prosthetic leg.

“I used to look at my leg and cry, but now I feel stronger,” he says. “I feel that I will have less to worry about from now on and I’m so grateful for the support I’ve received from HI, from my amputation until now. I can stand up and walk again. I can’t wait to show my family!”

Header image: Riad practices walking with his new artificial leg at a fitting center in Bangui. Inline image: Riad and his brother at a rehabilitation center in Bambari. Copyright: A. Servant/HI

An evangelist by trade, Zoumatchi was unable to work after a gunshot wound caused him to lose his left leg.

Zoumatchi is a 48-year-old father of four children. He was shot while working in Bangui during the 2014 crisis in the Central African Republic. After his leg was amputated at a community hospital, he returned home to his family in Bambari.

“I was in a very difficult position,” Zoumatchi says. “I was in a lot of pain, and I had difficulty getting around. For years I felt that I was useless.”

In September 2020, he started treatment with Humanity & Inclusion teams in Bambari. By November, he was ready to receive an artificial leg.

Zoumatchi went to Bangui to be fitted at the rehabilitation center (ANRAC), a project supported by Humanity & Inclusion. In December, he began rehabilitation with Humanity & Inclusion physical therapy assistants William and Peggy. As the sessions progressed, Zoumatchi regained his walking ability and experienced less pain. With his crutches, he is finally able to walk in neighborhoods all over Bambari.

“Over the past few days, I’m proud to say that I can even walk short distances without my crutches,” Zoumatchi says. “I’m so happy. Now that I can walk again, I can continue my work spreading messages of peace and love.”

A violent incident cost Hervé his right leg, but with support from Humanity & Inclusion, the 26-year-old proudly stands on two feet again.

One day in late June marked the start of a new beginning for Hervé, who took his first steps with his freshly fitted prosthetic leg. In the months since his right foot was seriously injured in an armed attack in Bambari in February, Hervé’s life—and outlook—have changed dramatically.  

After the incident, Hervé was taken to the hospital where doctors said they needed to amputate the lower part of his leg. At first, Hervé refused.

“I was so afraid of losing my leg and of the consequences it would have on my life,” Hervé explains. “I thought I would become a burden to my family and I didn’t want that.”

With Hervé refusing surgery, the hospital was prepared to discharge him despite the life-threatening risks of his injury. But his leg had become infected and the need to amputate was increasingly urgent. It was then that Humanity & Inclusion’s team learned of Hervé’s case and intervened.

Over the course of a week, Humanity & Inclusion’s mental health specialists counseled Hervé and helped him to overcome his fears, while educating him on the severity of his situation. With his newfound understanding and psychosocial support, he made the life-saving decision to undergo the operation.

After his amputation, Humanity & Inclusion’s team provided Hervé with a wound dressing kit and he regularly received care from physical therapists and mental health specialists to aid in a smooth recovery. His transportation costs to and from therapy were also covered by Humanity & Inclusion to ensure access to the care he needed.

When the time finally came for Hervé to take the next step in his recovery, Humanity & Inclusion took him to Bangui to be fitted for an artificial limb at ANRAC, the only fitting center in the Central African Republic. One week in June, Hervé spent every morning testing models and having molds made at the center, all leading up to the moment where he can finally begin to walk with his new prosthetic.

“I’m so happy,” Hervé says. “It has been so difficult to get around without a prosthetic. I hope, for myself and my family, that I will be able to walk normally again soon so that I can go back to living the way I used to. I see that little by little, I’m becoming mobile again and for that I thank HI.”

After his injury, Hervé’s job opportunities were limited. For now, he's shining shoes along the main road in the city for very little income. But with his newfound mobility, Hervé is eager to start a new job as a mobile pharmaceutical vendor, walking tall around the neighborhoods of Bambari.

After losing his right leg in a motorcycle accident, Kuch, 8, quickly learned to walk again with an artificial limb made for him by Humanity & Inclusion.

After visiting family in Cambodia’s Takeo province in April 2019, Kuch and his parents crammed onto the seat of their motorcycle for the long drive home. Motorcycles are a common method of transportation throughout Cambodia. 

Suddenly, there was a loud bang, then silence. A speeding motorcyclist hit them head-on. In the blink of an eye, their lives had changed forever. 

Cambodia has the third-highest motorcycle death rate in the world. In 2019, 30% of new patients at Humanity & Inclusion’s physical rehabilitation center in Kampong Cham were victims of road accidents.

Two life-saving amputations

As Kuch’s parents regained consciousness, they realized with horror that their son was in a critical condition. His right leg was broken and caught in a wheel. For young Kuch, this marked the start of a terrible ordeal. After being pulled from the wreckage, he was rushed to a nearby hospital. The next day, he was transferred to a hospital in Cambodia’s capital city of Phnom Penh. When they arrived, Kuch’s parents were shocked to learn he needed an amputation to save his life.  

Six months later, Kuch’s family visited Humanity & Inclusion’s rehabilitation center so the boy could be fitted with a prosthetic leg. Unfortunately, Kuch’s stump became red and infected, and he experienced high fevers. When medical staff examined him, they made a disturbing discovery: unless Kuch had another amputation, he would likely develop sepsis. Kuch returned to the hospital in Phnom Penh, where he spent months in recovery and experienced a serious drop in morale.

Back to his old self

Once Kuch’s stump had healed and after numerous rehabilitation sessions helping to strengthen his muscles, Kuch was finally ready to be fitted with his prosthesis in June 2020. Determined to heal, Kuch enthusiastically practiced his walking exercises and became comfortable with his artificial leg in no time at all.

"After his leg was amputated, my son couldn’t walk anymore,” explains Kuch’s mother. “He even found it hard to use crutches and he couldn’t go far without getting tired. Everything was an effort. He even had trouble getting up when he bent to pick things up. And our house doesn't have a toilet, so we have to go outside. It was all really complicated for him. Fortunately, since he was fitted with his prosthesis, Kuch has changed a lot. He can help me with the housework, go shopping for food, visit and play with his friends and go to school.”

Kuch continues to visit the rehabilitation center, which is a 90-minute drive from his family’s home, for follow-up care and repairs to his prosthetic. Humanity & Inclusion donors cover the family’s food and transportation costs during these routine visits. The team also checks in with Kuch at home. Kuch will continue to receive new artificial limbs as he outgrows old ones.

"I would like to thank Humanity & Inclusion and donors for making it possible for my child to receive the help he has,” adds Kuch’s mother.

After months of waiting, Kuch returned to school, walking nearly a mile each way. He enjoys studying and making friends. 

"I love playing football with my friends,” Kuch says with a big grin on his face. “When I grow up, I want to be a doctor.”

Header image: A young boy named Kuch grins outside a rehabilitation center in Cambodia. Inline image: Kuch, whose right leg is amputated, sits on a padded table at a rehabilitation center in Cambodia. He's wearing a mask. Copyright: Stephen Rae/HI

Abdullah was playing outside with his friends, when an airstrike blasted his village in Yemen. After doctors amputated his leg, Humanity & Inclusion helped Abdullah stand tall again.

The attack in December 2019, deeply affected Abdullah, 12. Not only was he gravely injured, but his cousin, who was like a brother to him, was killed. In an effort to save his life, Abdullah was rushed to Al Kuwait Hospital in Sana’a, where his leg was amputated.

The hospital is more than five hours from Al-Hudaida, where Abdullah lives with 11 siblings and his parents in a small house. Until recently, the village was the scene of frequent fighting and airstrikes. Living in poverty and isolation, Abdullah’s family does not have access to health services, electricity, food or water. The nearest school is miles away. For Abdullah and his family, getting the boy fitted for a prosthetic leg seemed out of reach at first.

Confined to the hospital for almost a month, Abdullah struggled with the grief of losing his cousin. He worried he would never play, walk or run again.

Traumatized, Abdullah was afraid of the doctors who came to see him. He screamed whenever physical therapists tried to do rehabilitation exercises with him. He was completely lost. Everything frightened him. 

Humanity & Inclusion’s team took the time to reassure him and build his confidence. The team gave him psychological support and rehabilitation care. He went from using a wheelchair to crutches.

Then, the team fitted him with a below-the-knee prosthetic leg, and conducted rehabilitation sessions to help strengthen his muscles and teach him to walk again. The team also taught Abdullah and one of his brothers how to maintain and clean the artificial limb.

Abdullah is now walking with the help of his new leg. He will receive new prosthetics as he grows.

Humanity & Inclusion in Yemen

Yemen has been devastated by an ongoing conflict that began in March 2015. Humanity & Inclusion teams work in nine health centers and treats patients from all over the country. Since Humanity & Inclusion began its operations in Yemen six years ago, teams have treated 30,000 people, many of them victims of the conflict. More than 3,000 people were victims of explosive weapons such as bombings, explosive remnants of war, landmines, and improvised explosive devices.

Humanity & Inclusion has provided more than 35,000 crutches, walkers, wheelchairs and other mobility aids to people in Yemen. More than 500 people have been fitted with prosthetics and orthotics through Humanity & Inclusion's collaboration with the Sana'a Physical Therapy and Prosthesis Center.

In additional to physical rehabilitation, nearly 23,000 people have received psychological support from Humanity & Inclusion. More than 800 Yemeni health workers have been trained in early trauma response. Support Yemenis with disabilities affected by the ongoing conflict.

Header image: A boy named Abdullah holds his amputated leg while waiting to be fitted with a prosthetic in Yemen. Copyright: ISNA Agency/HI

Inline image: Abdullah, 12, practices walking over obstacles with his new prosthetic leg in Yemen. Copyright: ISNA Agency/HI

Malik was 13 when his home in Syria was bombed. From his leg amputation to rehabilitation, his road to recovery in Jordan with Humanity & Inclusion has been long. 

Malik is one of many victims of bombing during the conflict in Syria. This is his story, in his words: 

I’m 20. I came to Jordan from Syria seven years ago. I was injured in an air attack when I was 13. 

We were at home, celebrating a family marriage. When the house was bombed, I was with my father. He and my uncle were also injured, but not seriously. Mine was worse because I was in the room where the bomb hit. There was thick smoke. I couldn't see a thing. My mother opened the doors and windows so we could breathe. I really thought I was going to die. 

I passed out when I got to hospital. When I woke up the next morning, we were in an ambulance at the border on the way to another hospital in Jordan. 

They amputated my leg straightaway, but I had no idea I’d lost it for the first fortnight. I was in shock and alone in hospital. It was really hard without my family. It was a few months before my mother could join me. 

I was depressed and, for the first three years, I was in a bad state psychologically. I had injuries all over my body, which needed care, and I got the treatment I needed to move different parts of my body.

I was fitted with my first prosthesis in 2014. When I saw I could walk again, I felt blessed! I was going to be able to move, work and study again! I spent a year in rehabilitation with Humanity & Inclusion, learning to walk. 

I went back to school in 2015 but stopped shortly afterwards because I found it hard to accept my disability. I mostly stayed home. I was really depressed and shy. It took me years to get over it. Around 2017, I began to make new friends. I hated it when people saw me as someone with a disability. 

I've overcome my anxiety and nervousness now. I can move around, study and work. 

I’m now a voluntary worker at Humanity & Inclusion, which also helps improve my English because I left school early. I help identify people with disabilities, who may need rehabilitation services or specific support, and their medical needs, and give them information on other accessible local services.  

I’ve got quite a busy afterwork routine. I see friends and at night I produce content for my YouTube channel. I make funny clips out of existing videos. I also play online with friends.

My dream is to study art and drama.

Image: A young man named Malik sits in a chair at his home in Jordan. He is a Syrian refugee.

Kimhouy, 8, was born with limb differences. For the past two years, she has received care from Humanity & Inclusion and has learned to walk with artificial legs. 

Kimhouy was born with dysmelia, a congenital abnormality that causes missing, shortened or other limb differences. As an infant, doctors amputated both of her legs, her left arm and some of her fingers.

Until the age of 6, unless someone carried her, Kimhouy would just sit on the floor. She didn’t know what it was like to walk. And it was almost impossible for her to take part in family activities. Born with a serious disability and into an extremely poor family, Kimhouy has experienced a lot of hardship, but she maintains a positive outlook on life. 

Barriers to routine care

Kimhouy's parents are both day laborers in Cambodia. Her mother works on farms and her father on construction sites. They hire out their labor when they can and barely earn enough to support Kimhouy and her three siblings. The family experiences regular spells of unemployment. Because of their irregular income, Kimhouy does not get continuous care. Even though the family lives only an hour from Humanity & Inclusion’s rehabilitation center in Kampong Cham, where she receives follow-up care, her parents struggle to arrange for her to get routine treatment. Humanity & Inclusion’s team has visited her at home to provide follow-up care, but encourages regularly visits to the rehabilitation center because it is vital for Kimhouy to have her prosthetics repaired or be fitted for new ones as she outgrows them.

“We’ve been providing Kimhouy with follow-up care since September 2019,” says Vimean Srun, head of the physical therapy unit at the Kampong Cham center managed by Humanity & Inclusion. “Unfortunately, she is not always able to come to her appointments because of her family’s situation. Last November, the last time she visited the rehabilitation center, her prostheses were too small because she’d grown so much. At that age, you need to change them regularly."

Still, Kimhouy’s mother tries her best to ensure her daughter keeps making progress.

“I would like to thank Humanity & Inclusion for covering the cost of our accommodation, transport and food when Kimhouy needs to visit the center for rehabilitation or new prostheses,” her mother says. “We couldn’t afford to help our daughter otherwise. I hope Humanity & Inclusion will continue to support people with disabilities for a long time to come.”

Determined to stand tall

Kimhouy loves visiting the rehabilitation center, which her mother heard about from a friend who lives with a disability. The first day she met Humanity & Inclusion physical therapists and orthopedic technicians, her life changed. She wants to keep improving and become more self-reliant.

"My daughter has been so happy since she was fitted with her prostheses,” her mother adds. “She can walk, get out of the house, ride her bike and play with friends. She stays clean because she can stand instead of always having to sit on the floor. I’m extremely grateful to Humanity & Inclusion and the donors who have made this possible.”

At the rehabilitation center in Kampong Cham, Kimhouy channels her enthusiasm into her goal of walking better. 

“Kimhouy is a bright girl and extremely determined,” explains Srun, the physical therapist. “She’s always in a good mood and willing to do the exercises we suggest. She really enjoys her physical therapy sessions and knows the whole team. She has a smile for everyone. We also give her advice on her day-to-day life. We are proud of her and glad her prostheses mean she can go to school now.”

After she was fitted with her artificial limbs in 2019, Kimhouy started school, but getting there sometimes proves challenging. Her school is one-and-a-half miles away from her home, and it’s hard for her to travel alone. Her older brother or friends usually go with here, but–too often for her liking–she misses class when no one can help.

"I like going to school,” Kimhouy says. “Sometimes it's hard for me to stand up. Sometimes I fall down when I'm too tired. Some of my classmates make fun of me because of my disability, but I try not to take it seriously. I like to play in the playground with my friends and I want to be a teacher when I grow up.”

Header image: A young girl named Kimhouy sits on a bench while a physical therapist fits her for artificial legs at a rehabilitation center in Cambodia. Her mother sits nearby. Copyright: Stephen Rae/HI

Inline image: Kimhouy smiles from inside a toy car at a rehabilitation center in Cambodia. Her left arm, which is amputated, rests on the toy car's door. Copyright: Stephen Rae/HI

Salam was injured by a cluster munition in Syria in 2015. Booby traps, improvised landmines and explosive remnants heavily contaminate Syria. Children are particularly exposed.

One day in October 2015, 5-year-old Salam was in the field with her family picking ripe olives when she noticed a strange piece of metal on the ground. She thought she might be able to use it to carve pictures on rocks. It was a bomb.

The cluster munition had been thrown from an aircraft during the Syria conflict and, by design, had not exploded on impact but would when touched. It was the kind of bomblet that tends to explode diagonally.

The explosion killed Salam’s little brother, who was carrying water back from the well, instantly. Salam, her parent, and four other siblings were also injured. 

The Red Cross rushed Salam to a medical facility in Jordan for emergency surgery. Her left leg and a toe on her right foot were amputated.

A long path to recovery 

Salam was first assessed by Humanity & Inclusion in 2015 in the Za’atri refugee camp in Jordan, near the Syrian border. Separated from her parents in Syria, the young girl spent months alone until relatives living in Jordan were found. 

After surgery, Salam worked closely with a Humanity & Inclusion physical therapist and a psychosocial support worker. To strengthen her injured right leg, Salam began to walk with the help of a frame. Then, she learned to walk with an artificial limb. Five years later, Salam’s prosthetic leg is routinely replaced as she continues to grow.

Salam experienced significant psychological trauma, becoming extremely timid and self-conscious after the blast. She refused to play with other children. Through occupational therapy and psychosocial support, Humanity & Inclusion helped Salam rebuild her confidence and encouraged her to interact with others.

Her new life in Jordan

Salam’s Jordanian relatives welcomed her and continue to take care of her. She now lives in Irbid with an extended family of 10 adopted brothers and sisters. She attends school, where she works hard and is frequently top of her class. She loves drawing princesses. Her adoptive father is grateful for Humanity & Inclusion’s support.

“We used to carry her to school before receiving the prosthetic leg and now she can easily walk to go to school,” he says. He has also seen a big difference in Salam’s confidence and happiness when playing with friends.

Salam dreams of becoming a doctor when she grows up and says she would love to make artificial limbs for other children.

Back in Syria 

Too traumatized by what happened, Salam does not want to return to Syria, even to reunite with her parents and siblings. Her birth family believes she has better access to treatment and education in Jordan.

March 15 marks 10 years in conflict in Syria. Over the last decade, explosive weapons have been massively used in populated areas contaminating land across the country. Major cities like Raqqa, Aleppo and Homs have been destroyed by large-scale and intense bombing. Many of these weapons leave dangerous remnants or fail to explode on impact, remaining dangerous years after combat. 

Today, 11.5 million people in Syria live in areas contaminated by explosive hazards.

Between 2011 and 2018 there were 79,206 recorded casualties from explosive weapons, 87% of which were civilians. While all population groups are at risk, children - especially boys, agricultural workers and people on the move are particularly vulnerable to being injured or killed by an anti-personnel landmine or explosive remnant of war.

Humanity & Inclusion and the Syria crisis

Since the organization began its response to the Syria crisis in 2012, Humanity & Inclusion has helped 1.8 million Syrians in six countries through emergency rehabilitation, psychological support, and supplying prosthetics and other assistive devices. As of December 2020, Humanity & Inclusion provided 14,000 prosthetics or orthotics to Syrians and conducted rehabilitation sessions with 180,000 people. Learn more about our work and the Syria crisis.

Header image: A young girl named Salam smiles at her home in Jordan. Her leg is amputated. She is a Syrian refugee.

Inline image: Salam sits on a table while a physical therapist fits her with a new prosthetic leg at a rehabilitation center in Jordan.

Sreyka was walking home from school in May 2019 when she was hit by a speeding driver and had to have her left leg amputated. She's returned to school after Humanity & Inclusion fitted her with a prosthesis.

Sreyka, 8, was skipping along the road after school when she was knocked down by a large speeding vehicle just 55 yards from her home. Seriously injured, she was rushed to a nearby health center and then to the nearest hospital, which lacked the equipment needed to treat her. Sreyka was taken to a pediatric hospital in Cambodia's capital city, where her left leg was amputated to save her life.

Sreyka's family lives with her maternal grandparents in a village in the Tbong Khmum province. The family lives on a limited income, made by her father who works in construction. Sreyka’s mother takes care her, her 14-year-old sister and their home.

Putting her prosthesis to the test

Seven months after the accident, Sreyka visited Humanity & Inclusion’s rehabilitation center in Kampong Cham, an hour from her village. The team of physical therapists and prosthetic technicians immediately took good care of her, providing her a custom-fit artificial leg and teaching her how to walk with it.

"I'm so happy that my daughter can walk to school again with her prosthesis and do so many things on her own," says Sreyka's mother. "She was really unhappy. And it was difficult for me too, because I had to carry her a lot and help her with everyday chores, lift her from room to room, and take her outside or to the toilet or bathroom. I am grateful to Humanity & Inclusion for their work because it means my daughter can be fitted with prostheses!"

Sreyka and her mother visit the center regularly for adjustments and replacements of her artificial limb - she's already on her second prosthesis and will only need more as she grows! They also learn tips to care for Sreyka's stump. For instance, it's really important to change the girl's socks (on her stump) as often as possible. Her stump could become infected if they don't tend to it.

"In addition to regularly providing her with prostheses and teaching her to walk with her prostheses, the team at the rehabilitation center also does physical therapy exercises with Sreyka and gives her counseling,” explains Mr. Doung Chetha, the coordinator of Humanity & Inclusion’s Kampong Cham Rehabilitation Center.

A bit of a daredevil, Sreyka is putting her new leg to the test.

"I like to play with my friends at school, I pretend to be a ghost,” Sreyka says. “I always enjoyed running around the house with my cousins and friends. And now I can do what I love again! Sometimes I try to ride my bike and even skid in front of my grandparents' house.”

Back to school

Sreyka is gradually overcoming the trauma of her accident. Her confidence is growing and she is engaging more with her family and friends.

When she first returned to school, the second grader felt shy at first and wore long skirts to hide her legs, but now she wears the same uniform as her classmates. Sreyka has definitely taken to her new leg.

"My school is quite far away, a half-mile from home, but I often walk there. I really like school,” Sreyka says with a beautiful smile, adding that her favorite subject is Khmer, Cambodia’s primary language. 

When she grows up, Sreyka hopes to train to make orthotics and prosthetics.

The Humanity & Inclusion team in Kampong Cham is right to be proud of her!

Header image: A young girl named Sreyka shades her eyes while sitting on a bicycle in Cambodia. She is wearing a prosthetic leg. Copyright: Stephen Rae/HI, 2020

Inline image: Sreyka sits at her school desk, smiling as she raises her hand during class in Cambodia. Copyright: Stephen Rae/HI, 2020