After more than a decade of conflict, Syria’s healthcare system continues to face severe challenges. Hospitals and clinics in rural areas, such as Dara’a, are under-resourced and overstretched, leaving many families with limited or no access to specialized medical care.
Explosive remnants of the protracted war remain scattered across agricultural lands, creating constant risks for civilians, especially children who often work alongside their families in the fields. Survivors of such accidents face not only immediate life-threatening injuries but also long-term physical and psychological consequences. Without humanitarian support, access to prosthetics, rehabilitation and psychosocial services is almost impossible for most families.
Hadeel Mohammed AlQassoum, a 17-year-old from Deir Al Addas in rural Dara’a, was only 14 when her life changed forever. While returning home from the fields, Hadeel’s family met with an accident—their car hit a landmine, which killed 10 people and left Hadeel with severe injuries, including the loss of both legs.
After the accident, she spent 13 days in intensive care. When she regained consciousness, Hadeel struggled to cope with her loss. She avoided going outside, stopped seeing friends, and withdrew from the community. Once a girl with dreams of becoming a doctor or hairdresser, Hadeel felt embarrassed and hopeless as she became dependent on her family for even the simplest daily needs.
Hadeel’s mother, Kifa, learned about International Medical Corps’ mobile medical team (MMT) in Deir Al Addas from her community. She visited our MMT with Hadeel, in the hope that her daughter would get the much-needed support to move on from the tragedy.
“Seeing my daughter unable to walk was the hardest thing a mother can experience. We didn’t know if she would ever return to a normal life.”
— Kifah, Hadeel’s mother
An internist at the MMT referred Hadeel to Reem Hasan, our Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Case Manager. Reem connected Hadeel with specialized services, including physiotherapy sessions and the fitting of prosthetic legs. Beyond physical treatment, International Medical Corps provided psychosocial support to help Hadeel rebuild her confidence, process the trauma, and regain motivation and hope. We also provided transportation assistance to alleviate the financial burden on her family, ensuring continuity of care
Our support proved invaluable. Hadeel gradually regained her mobility—she initially attended therapy in a wheelchair but soon began to walk independently with the help of her new prosthetics. Her self-confidence, too, grew with each therapy session.
“International Medical Corps gave me back my life,” Hadeel says. “I never thought I could walk again, but now I can even dream about my future.”
Reem couldn’t be happier. “Hadeel’s case was challenging, but her determination inspired us all,” she says. “Today she is not only walking again but encouraging other girls facing similar struggles [to seek support].”
