Success story: Ritaj Hammoud overcomes life-threatening incident
Ritaj’s doctors say that her survival was a miracle.
When she was three years old, she was playing around the tent in the refugee camp where her family had settled after being displaced from Syria, and accidently consumed rat poison.
After ingesting the poison, she fell severely ill and her family did not know what to do with her, given their status as refugees in the country.
For those living in Al Yasmin Camp in the Bekaa, getting access to hospital is no easy or straightforward task, particularly as someone with refugee status. Hospitals in the area were already suffering from a lack of resources and were further overwhelmed by patients as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
For Ritaj’s family, securing clothing and basic goods was already difficult, and after she fell ill, they couldn’t find any medical centre or hospital to see her and would not be able to pay the fees for it.
Her family’s fears for her life grew and eventually desperate calls were made to Africa Muslims Agency (AMA).
Through donors, Ritaj was able to get the necessary help she needed, with her hospital fees covered. She made a quick and full recovery and both her and her family have since been moved out of the tent they lived in.
In early 2022, Ritaj’s family’s tent was rehabilitated to make it more liveable, and she was enrolled in the Aman School of Excellence.
“We were able to visit the family and carry out needs assessments, to see exactly what it is they needed. This way we’re able to help them in a way that was best for them,” says Fatima Kaisi, project co-ordinator at AMA.
According to Kaisi, after Ritaj got sponsored, her personality also blossomed.
“She started opening up more and she now expresses herself.”
When she’s older, Ritaj says she wants to be a doctor.
“I want to be able to help everyone and make them feel better,” she says.
While in South Africa with AMA, Ritaj was able to share her story and encourage others to sponsor other children back home.
