Therapists bring rehabilitation, nutrition, and hope to Gaza
MOUSA’S STORY
Mousa co-ordinates the team of therapists from Jerusalem Princess Basma Centre working at its satellite clinic at Al Ahli hospital in Gaza City.
The team have been working in Gaza these past 3 years since the start of the most recent conflict on 7 October 2023. They offer physiotherapy for patients with physical disabilities and treatment for life-changing injuries sustained during the conflict, as well as psychological support to help patients process the trauma they have experienced.
One of the most crucial areas of treatment to address with all patients is nutrition. Mousa explained to us:
“In the midst of war there is nothing to eat. 80% of homes are damaged or destroyed. Families are living in tents. There is no clean water and no way to wash food.”
This challenge has led to widespread malnutrition in Gaza. Mousa himself lost around 6 stone in weight while food was scarce during the conflict, but he is acutely aware that his patients, predominantly young children and those recovering from injuries, are especially in need of intensive nutritional support to promote healthy development and healing. This is why the clinic’s nutritionists are so vital and so busy.
The clinic sees such a high volume of patients daily and the team can clearly see the positive impact of their work for communities in Gaza. It is hard for Mousa to pick just one story from his many encounters with patients but he shared this one with us:
“I remember a girl came to us with very low weight. When I examined her, I noticed her hair was not growing as it should and she had no fat or muscle in her cheeks and lips as you would expect to see in a healthy child. Her mother was crying, desperate for help, asking, ‘why is she like this?’ Yvette [our nutritionist] took the girl’s vital measurements and started her on a nutrition programme. After 3 weeks monitoring her progress, her hair began to grow. Mother and daughter arrived at the clinic very happy because she was able to wear a little clip in her hair. It sounds like a small thing but it showed a step on the journey to becoming healthy - it stayed in my mind.”
It is not just his fellow therapists that Mousa considers colleagues, but every person who generously supports the work they do:
“All of us are brothers in humanity. When people see a problem they think, ‘What can I do?’ Since I live in Gaza, I can co-ordinate the unit, Yvette can follow up with the patients and our donors can buy the equipment that we use, the food supplements we distribute and the training that we need. When Embrace support us it says to me that, all over the world, your brothers see you.”
Media coverage of Gaza may have lessened but the immensely challenging circumstances in which communities live and our partners work persist. Thank you for standing in solidarity with partners like Mousa and his team, your generous donations, faithful prayers and keen interest in their day to day work let’s them know they are not alone.
