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قارئ المقال
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This story was written with support from IJNet Arabic’s Mentoring Center for Media Startups
Written By: Ibrahim Al-Munifi
Translated By: Yasser Mohammed
Al Odain Street in Ibb governorate was packed with people in the morning of Eid Al-Adha of 2015
People from all ages were returning from Eid prayers and heading for the homes of their relatives and friends
On a street corner, against a background of a green mountain, an indicator of good rainy season, there was a group of boys moving from one house to another offering Eid greetings, as is customary in Yemen
One of these groups stood out because of a child named Wisam who was beautifully chanting in the middle. Wisam is a boy gifted with a beautiful chanting voice, he also plays the oud musical instrument
Suddenly, an interesting object caught Wissam’s eyes. He decided to leave the group and went in a hurry to pick it up. After staring with curiosity at what seemed to be a mobile phone for a few seconds Wisam slowly leaned forward and picked it up, not realizing he made a fatal mistake
Seconds later, a huge explosion rocks the street. Passersby did not know what was the cause of the explosion, while those who were next to it, were trembling with fear of the scene. A little boy’s body flew in the air and then was slammed into the hard asphalt, bloodied and broken
Wisam had picked up an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) with a mobile phone attached to it. Although Wisam did not die, his body was seriously injured. The little child had lost his left foot, his left hand, and his right eye
Perhaps Wisam will never play and runaround with his friends again, not like he used to anyway. However, thanks to the prosthetics he was outfitted with in the Prosthetics and Physiotherapy Center in Aden governorate, along with Wisam’s own perseverance and love for life, he was able to move on
Today, Wisam is a senior high school student with a plan to major in Information Technology. In the past Wisam was a child with a broken body and soul. Today, he is a handicapable young man with a clear future plan
We called Wisam this morning, he informed us that he is travelling, 380 Km from Ibb to Aden governorate, to change his prosthetics. He said he has to change both of his prosthetics once or twice each year. Even though the prosthetics are free, the cost of travelling is high
Wisam wishes that prosthetics centers are present in all governorates of Yemen, because he and many other handicapable persons suffer a lot when it is time to change or maintain their prosthetics due to long and arduous travel between the governorates, difficulty of using public transportation and the unpaved roads. He hopes to keep developing his chanting and singing skills
Wisam calls for more attention and care to the war victims including via rehabilitation and other types of assistance
Wisam did not forget to send a message to parents, community, and the government, to raise the people’s awareness of the horrors of war the dangers of explosive remnants of war and take other measures to prevent what happened to him from happening to others
“Any solution to any problem facing the persons with disability or others in Yemen begins with stopping the war and building peace,” said Wisam