Empowering 80 people with disabilities in Iraq

by Operation Mercy
Empowering 80 people with disabilities in Iraq

Project Report | Jul 9, 2025
A Family Effort

By Stefanie Cunard | Community Based Rehabilitation Project Leader

Perseverance is one of our 5 key priorities at Operation Mercy. In our city we often come across children and families who have endured difficulties and discouragements through war, through loss of family members, through disabilities, and through lack of resources. While the hardships of life weigh heavy on some, we see others who are able to persevere through the hardships they’veencountered. Haneen and her family are a prime example of perseveranceWhen I met Haneen for the first time it was at the request of another local whose heart broke for this family. Haneen was 1 of 5 kids, and 4 of them have quadriplegic cerebral palsy and are completely dependent on their caretakers. Their mother was also a widow of 5 years, after losing her husband shortly after they survived the occupation and war that terrorized their cityHaneen was the youngest of the 4 disabled children and her 3 older siblings already had so many contractures in their bodies thatmade it nearly impossible for them to maintain a normal sitting position. Their mother worked day in and day out to clean them, feed them, change them, and provide for them. She was determined to do her best for her children, regardless of their circumstances. However, she maintained a special hope for Haneen, that one day she would have the opportunity to get better and be more mobile than the older 3.  

Feeling almost overwhelmed by the desperation of this situation, one of our PT’s began treatment with Haneen, working towards any functional movement that could potentially help ease the workload on the mother. Yet, the mother and the youngest sister caught wind of the hope that was rising for Haneen to do things the rest of her siblings have never been able to do. She nowmaintains a proper sitting position on the floor, she is rolling and crawling, she can stand in a gait trainer and is working towards the ability to take steps by herself in the gait trainer.  

It has been our joy at Operation Mercy Iraq to persevere alongside Haneen and her family to see the incredible progress she has been making. For Haneen, persevering through challenges has been proving to be her hope for the future.  

 

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Mar 13, 2025
Desperate for Help and Hope

By Steffanie Cunard | Project Leader

Nov 18, 2024
Sometimes All It Takes is a Question

By Steven Smalley | Project Supervisor

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.

Sign up for updates

Organization Information

Operation Mercy

Location: Orebro - Sweden
Website:
Facebook: Facebook Page
Project Leader:
Steven Smalley
Orebro , Sweden

Learn more about GlobalGiving

Teenage Science Students
Vetting +
Due Diligence

Snorkeler
Our
Impact

Woman Holding a Gift Card
Give
Gift Cards

Young Girl with a Bicycle
GlobalGiving
Guarantee

Get incredible stories, promotions, and matching offers in your inbox

WARNING: Javascript is currently disabled or is not available in your browser. GlobalGiving makes extensive use of Javascript and will not function properly with Javascript disabled. Please enable Javascript and refresh this page.