Providing Dental Surgeries to Special Needs Children in Jordan
Families of special needs children in Jordan often find it difficult to provide their children with the dental care that they desperately need. Unfortunately, because of the challenges related to caring for children with special needs, some other basic health needs can get pushed aside. Even if the families are able to find dental care for their children with special needs, it can prove to be rather costly and out of reach. But as part of UOSSM USA’s Surgeries project, which aims to provide a variety of surgeries, free of charge, to refugee, needy, and other underserved families in Jordan, we recently identified three special needs children who needed costly dental services: Asma, a 5-year-old with Down Syndrome, from Jordan; Yousef, a 6-year-old with autism, from Gaza Strip who resides in Jordan; and Tala, a 10-year-old with Down Syndrome, from Jordan.
In November, we coordinated with the Director of Al-Hannan Hospital, Bassam Alzuobi, and Dr. Serena Abu Dayyeh to provide complete dental services in just one session to three special needs children, under full anesthesia.
All three children had multiple cavities and other dental problems but could not receive the dental treatment without complete anesthesia. Their families were so grateful and overjoyed seeing that their children’s pain was alleviated, and they could now eat pain-free! You can watch the heartwarming video here!
Thanks to these surgical missions, we were able to ultimately improve the health and overall wellbeing of those children who would not otherwise have the access or the means to these vital surgical operations/procedures.
Thanks to the support of donors like you, we are able to reach these families and provide them with the support services that they need!
Together we are saving lives and building hope.
One of Most Important Specialty Hospitals in Northwest Syria
UOSSM-supported Aqrabat Orthopedic and Reconstructive Surgery Specialty Hospital is widely considered one of the most important specialty hospitals in northwest Syria. The hospital provides specialty care, along with medical clinics, radiology, surgery, and emergency departments, and is in the vicinity of displacement camps in Atma, Qah, Aqrabat, and Kafrloseen, in addition to nearby cities and villages.
Each month, approximately 950 major surgeries and 700 minor surgeries are performed in the hospital.
During the last two days of 2022, UOSSM USA distributed 500 food baskets filled with food essentials to 500 families (~2,500 people) in Rukban Camp in southern Syria. Located on the border of southern Syria and Jordan, this makeshift camp has 12,000 displaced people, 80% of whom are children and women. More than half of those families are in dire need of food essentials. The food baskets will help protect the families from hunger and boost their immunity to help fight diseases. You can learn more about Rukban Camp here.
Supporting New Healthcare Center in Idlib
UOSSM is supporting a new healthcare center in Hafarsaja, Idlib, which will help reduce the gap in medical care in the area. The center includes clinics in general care, obstetrics, dental care, wound care, and a pharmacy. In addition, the center will have three community health teams and two psychosocial support workers.
In collaboration with Bareeq Education Center, UOSSM USA held an open house on Wednesday, December 7th from 10 am to 3 pm, as part of our participation in the #16Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence (GBV) campaign. Several NGO partners were invited to participate in the event including Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), Danish Refugee Council (DRC), International Medical Corps (IMC), and Tamkeen. The event was led by women and attended by over 100 women and girls (ages 14-55), including Syrian refugees and host communities. It included several GBV awareness sessions led by our partners to include SAMS, DRC, Tamkeen, and IMC. The event also included a teen drawing session and a mini bazaar for women.
Girls and women walked away from the event understanding that they have the power to succeed…that they have the power to walk away from abuse…and that they know how to help others in abusive relationships. You can watch a video about the event here!
One afternoon, Ahmad and his brother were tending their flock of sheep. As they were herding the sheep, they ran into something that caught their attention. They picked it up to see what it was and began playing around with their new “toy” when suddenly it blew up in their hands. The “toy” was actually a shell from a previous bombing that had not exploded.
Both brothers were severely injured and taken to the hospital. Ahmad’s legs were broken and injured so severely that his bone was exposed., His brother was wounded in the abdomen. Both boys had to undergo surgery although their injuries were thankfully not life-threatening.
Ahmad’s brother made a full recovery, but Ahmad’s injuries were much more complicated. His left leg healed after surgery, but the bones on his right leg were injured extensively. Ahmad was referred to Aqrabat Hospital for specialized care. Ahmad had to undergo several specialty procedures for his complex injuries, including reconstructive surgery which useed skin grafts to cover the exposed bone. Then he had to have the Vacuum Assisted Closure (VAC) device (typically used for severe or slow healing wounds) in two different stages for two weeks to remove excess liquids.
The team at Aqrabat Hospital is still caring for Ahmad until he makes a full recovery.
Thanks to donors like YOU, children like Ahmad have access to these critical medical services.
Together, we are saving lives and building hope.
