A Face of the Conflict

One of the more special projects I've been working on lately is one to provide medical assistance for a boy from Basrah who was wounded during a rocket that hit his home during fighting between Coalition forces and insurgents several years ago. Four-year-old Mehdi suffered injuries to his head during the blast - doctors at a Basrah hospital removed one of his eyes after it was badly damaged by shrapnel. He still has two pieces of shrapnel in his body which they were unable to remove - one behind his scapula and one in his brain. The piece in his brain is of particular concern as he continues to grow - it's located in his occipital lobe and poses a serious risk of brain defects or death as his brain grows around it.

Mehdi and his father Saleh came to the gate of the Basrah military base one day in hopes of seeking medical care for him that they couldn't receive at local hospitals. They happened to catch someone who was able to ask around until the case was referred to us. As part of our grant, we have special funds for projects benefiting civilian victims of conflict - normally, these projects focus on providing wheelchairs or prosthetics for local clinics or rebuilding major infrastructure damaged during coalition/insurgent fighting. However, we're always eager to help with these kinds of cases when we can.

We worked with the Medical Unit here on the Basrah base to identify a children's hospital in Germany that can provide Mehdi with the surgeries he needs to remove the shrapnel in his brain and back, and provide him with a prosthetic eye for the one he is missing. I have been working on coordination with the Germany Embassy in Baghdad to prepare all the necessary elements of their visa application and handle many of the logistics for their trip.

I finally got to meet Mehdi today, when he and his father came to meet with us to complete some paperwork and have a briefing on their visa interviews and upcoming travel. He's adorable and shy. He has occasional bursts of random tears where he's barely able to tell his father what has upset him - an occurrence his father says has been common since Mehdi was injured. But it doesn't take too long before a piece of candy or a soccer ball distracts him from his tears.

Mehdi goofing off:


So much of the work we do is focused on governance and community building that it's easy to forget the many victims of Iraq's recent and longer history. With thirty years of conflict behind them, there are many injured and disabled people, many widows and orphans. Having the opportunity to help heal the wounds of one has felt like a blessing.