When IR Iraq staff first visited Fawziya Rasheed they were met with the disturbing sight of her three severely disabled children crawling round and round on the floor in a circle, screaming uncontrollably. When the children saw them – strangers in their home – their howls became louder. When they had recovered from their initial shock the IR team asked Fawziya what was wrong with these children, and in broken Arabic the 42-year-old Kurdish woman told her heartbreaking story.
Fawziya’s tale
When Fawziya was 26 she was married to a poor blind man. A year into the marriage she gave birth to a baby boy, but sadly this child contracted an infection and died at just a few days old. Fawziya, who had dreamt of being a mother since she was a child herself, fell into depression.
A year later Fawziya became pregnant again and gave birth to a girl, who she named Iman. Shortly after birth Iman was diagnosed as being deaf. The family consulted a doctor who told them that Iman needed a major operation.
The family could not afford this operation, or in fact any treatment or therapy at all for Iman. Fawziya is illiterate, having come from a traditional family who did not believe in educating girls, and her husband cannot work due to his own disability. They had no friends or family to help them so Iman was left untreated.
Day by day Iman’s health deteriorated and she failed to develop properly either physically or mentally.
A few years passed and Fawziya became pregnant for a third time. This child, Hanan was born blind like her father, and like her sister, Iman, she was left without medical treatment of any kind and failed to develop as she should.
When Fawziya became pregnant for the fourth time she was determined to avoid her previous mistakes and visited a doctor throughout her pregnancy. This time she gave birth to a healthy baby girl, who the couple named Jenan. Jenan is now a primary school student and is doing well in her studies.
Five years ago Fawziya gave birth to another handicapped child, Mohammed. Mohammed was born blind and with deformed limbs. Despite his other disabilities Mohammed has an amazing memory, easily memorising songs and surahs of the Quran.
All alone
In 2003 tragedy struck Fawziya again when her husband died. She was left alone with four children, three of whom are handicapped.
One of her late husband’s relatives took care of the family for a while; providing them with accommodation near to his home in Baghdad and helping them with living expenses. However he eventually decide to move his family away from Baghdad and the growing insecurity and violence there, to the relative safety of Erbil and the family was left alone once again.
Fawziya could not take care of her children properly. She could not afford food for them let alone the therapy and medical treatment they required. This is the point at which the family came to the attention of IR Iraq.
Now
Mohammed and Iman have both been sponsored by IR donors for two years now. During a recent visit Fawziya urged IR staff to send her deepest thanks to IR for sponsoring her two children and asked that they make her tragic story known in the hope that someone may help her remaining children. She is especially hopeful for Hanan, saying, “I wish that my daughter Hanan may be able to open her eyes and see her world, mother and siblings.”
http://www.islamic-relief.com/Emergencies-An-Appeals/Appeals.aspx?emID=49