Yasser: losing everything at 12

In Yemen, families are suffering the devastating impact of a war that has nothing to do with them. Yasser is only 12 years old: after the bombing, he woke to find his leg had been amputated in hospital.

A childhood changed forever

Yasser is a boy who loved to play football with his friends. He spent a lot of time with his father and was very close to him. One evening, as they were doing Yasser's homework together on the roof of the family’s apartment, the bombs began to fall. Yasser woke up in hospital with one leg missing. His house had been destroyed. And his father was dead. 

Support from HI

Before the bombing, Yasser was an energetic, enthusiastic, outgoing child. His amputation, the destruction of his home and the sudden loss of his father plunged him into depression. When they met him at the Sana'a Rehabilitation Centre, HI’s teams arranged for him to follow a rehabilitation care protocol until he could be fitted with a prosthesis. In a state of shock, he had also lost interest in life and was given therapy to help him overcome the series of losses he had suffered. 

Hope of a new life

Today, Yasser cries far less. He can walk with his prosthesis, which has put a smile back on his face. He is becoming more outgoing and taking care of himself. He has also returned to school. With his prothesis, he can play football with his classmates again – and he’s a talented player.