Injured by a mine, Imaan can walk again thanks to HI
Shepherd Imaan, 15, learned to walk again after an amputation caused by a landmine.
Imaan during a rehabilitation session | © T. Nicholson / HI
To walk on a landmine
After seven years of displacement, 15-year-old shepherd Imaan Al-Hussein returned to Raqqa to celebrate Eid al-Adha. While she was tending to her family’s flock of sheep with her mother, she stepped on a landmine which severely damaged her right lower leg. She made a tourniquet with her scarf, but her leg had to be amputated below the knee.
During strength and conditioning sessions with HI, Imaan learnt how to re-wrap a bandage around her residual limb. She also practised walking with mobility aids, strength and balance training, such as jumping over an obstacle.
Progress and daily challenges
Although Imaan is making progress with mobility aids, they particularly hinder her work as a shepherd. She said:
“I'd like to walk without sticks because, as Bedouins, we have to use our hands for work. Otherwise, it'll prevent me from doing my work with the sheep like my mother.”
In the short term, Imaan wants to return to the land as soon as possible, but in the long term, she said:
“If I can walk again, I'd like to attend a wedding. My dream is to be able to dance again at Bedouin weddings.”
