ABU DHABI // A UAE campaign has donated US$1 million to help the displaced and injured people of Syria with artificial limbs and life-saving treatment.

The money, which amounts to Dh3.7m, has come from the Big Heart Campaign, through its patron Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, a eminent advocate for Refugee Children for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.

Among the many beneficiaries of the Big Heart Campaign is Zeinab, a 36-year-old mother-of-five from East Ghouta, in rural Damascus.

For the past two years she has had to flee from village to village with her children to stay alive. But, tragically, her seven-year-old daughter was killed and she was severely injured when a building where they were visiting friends was hit by a bomb.

Zeinab was trapped under concrete blocks, trying to free on of her legs. She assumed it had become numb but then discovered, to her horror, that it was no longer there and her other foot was also missing.

She was rushed to a field hospital, but the lack of medicines, equipment and skilled surgeons left her with complications from gangrene, resulting in three corrective amputations.

“What was more agonising than the bomb’s shrapnel was the psychological blow of the news that my little daughter had died in the blast,” said Zeinab.

“It’s impossible to describe how it feels for a mother to lose a child who, just seconds before, was laughing innocently in her arms. She was too young to understand the war or understand why she died – and neither do I.

“But just when I thought my life couldn’t possibly get any worse, my husband accused me of being responsible for our child’s death and abandoned me, leaving me without any support whatsoever.”

A glimmer of hope came when Zeinab reached the Syrian Arab Red Crescent Artificial Limbs Centre in Damascus, which is supported by UNHCR with funds from charities such as the Big Heart Campaign.

Sadly, the treatment she had previously received at the ill-equipped field hospital was so poor that no artificial limbs would fit her legs.

However, Zeinab is to undergo more surgery, she will get new artificial legs and, after a lengthy rehabilitation, will be able to walk again.

This is all thanks to the UNHCR and the Big Heart Campaign, which is also helping many other displaced Syrians.

“God willing, my new operation will give me back my freedom, my hope and my reason for living,” Zeinab told UNHCR.

Tareq Kurdi, a UNHCR representative in Syria, said: “The donations are truly life-saving and will help UNHCR Syria to provide critical medical assistance to the most vulnerable, displaced Syrians – especially newborns in need of intensive care and the disabled.

“The contributions also help us to put a roof over several thousand displaced people who have been suffering in unhealthy collective shelters while at the mercy of the harsh winter that is around the corner.”

The latest contribution is part of a series of donations that will be made by Sheikha Jawaher, on behalf of the campaign, to help Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Syria.

A number of major donations have been made by the campaign in recent months.

In August, Dh6.6m was donated for displaced Syrian families in Jordan to mark Eid. Later that month refugees benefited from a donation of more than Dh730,000 and, last month, a US$3 million donation was made to help 10,000 Syrians in Lebanon.

People can donate to the campaign by texting the word “donate” to the following numbers: Etisalat users should send the text to 2000 to donate Dh10, 2002 for Dh50, 2003 for Dh100. Du users can text 9965 to donate Dh10, 9967 for Dh50 and 9968 for Dh100.

ecleland@thenational.ae