A little girl realised one day that not all children live under lucky stars, where food is plentiful, water flowing and they can live safely in their own homes. She learned that children in countries of war, conflict and natural disasters are suffering through no fault of their own, they were just born under unlucky stars.
She wanted to help, so after giving all her savings of her money box to her Mum, she decided she wanted to raise thousands more to help save the children. She decided with the help of her older sister and brother that she was going to run 1000 miles and raise £5000 to help make a difference to those children stars. She commenced her journey on 29th March 2021 and has been running ever since.
“We can’t change the world, but WE CAN change a childs world. The more children WE HELP, the more worlds we’ve changed.”
Her 1000 miles was tough
Through out her 1000 mile journey her little legs ached and at times felt weak, but her siblings and friends stepped in to help her along her way. When she struggled to reach her £5000 target a little boy from her school was so inspired by her, he decided to help and started his own challenge of cycling 1000 miles to help her reach her target of £5000.
A team of friends
Now the little girl has a team of friends in her own town and as far as the other side of the world. They were so inspired and wanting to help her by setting their own challenges.
All the children truly believe in the magic of kindness, that every little act of kindness can truly go a long long way in making the stars shine brighter for children under the unlucky stars.
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Weam, Syria
Weam*, an 8-year-old, and his family fled their home in 2018 due to war, leaving behind stability for life in a tented camp.
Weam’s* father was killed while seeking work to rebuild their lives. Weam is struggling with the mental health impacts of living in fear and trauma from earthquakes and the war. The family live off the aid they are provided with, but they do not have as much as other families in the camp, they can’t even afford bread, which has led to Weam* being bullied by other children, leading to him becoming more withdrawn.
Save the Children International, in partnership with Hand in Hand, provided crucial support, including Mental Health Psycho-Social Support, medical protection, food security, and financial assistance.
Image credit: Hand in Hand / Save The Children
Maha, Yemen
Maha*, 10, lives with her family – including her 16-year-old sister Maya* and her 38-year-old father Jamal* – in Taiz, Yemen. In recent years, they were displaced from their village due to conflict, which resulted in the loss of her father’s job and, as a result, the family’s income. This pushed the family into poverty even more.
In October 2022, the sisters’ lives were changed forever when they stepped on a landmine while collecting firewood for cooking. Even though Maha* was rushed to the hospital for surgery, she lost her left eye and had her right hand amputated. In addition, Maha* injured her right leg and Maya* broke her left leg.
A few months on, the incident has caused significant suffering for the family who had lost everything due to the war in Yemen already. In particular, the incident has impacted the daily lives of the sisters as Maha* and Maya* struggle to recover and to adapt to a new reality.
Maha* loves going to school, however, the incident has made doing so difficult. The teachers at Maha*s school came to her house to conduct school tests and to uplift the 10-year-old’s spirits. In addition, the education directorate sent an at-home tutor to Maha*s house to help with studying. Recently, the 10-year-old has been making progress and she has started going to school alongside her sister using crutches.
Looking forward, Maha* wants to become a doctor so that she can help children who have been impacted by landmines too. Furthermore, she dreams of a world where no child has to suffer the same types of injuries and where children can go outside without fear.
Save the Children Child Protection responded on the same day of the incident to the cases by covering the medical expenses for each sister, providing the family with cash assistance, and covering the expense of the surgeries as well as the medication. The family has been provided with psychosocial support sessions via Save the Children as well.
