Ameen: "Now I can walk, I want to go back to university"

Ameen, 19, was the victim of an explosion in Hodeidah, Yemen. He was injured in his right leg, just above the knee. Humanity & Inclusion supplied him with a prosthesis and helped him walk again.

Ameen during a rehabilitation sesssion. | © HI

Ameen was in a laundromat when fighting broke out in the street. A mortar exploded next to him, injuring his right leg, and he was unable to stand.

Passers-by gave him first aid before his cousin rushed him to the nearest hospital where his leg had to be amputated.

Physical rehabilitation

HI provided Ameen with follow-up care at Sanaa hospital. He also attended physical rehabilitation sessions to strengthen the upper part of his amputated leg and restore his balance prior to being fitted with a prosthesis.

By the end of 2019, he was ready. The HI team, which works in eight hospitals and a rehabilitation centre in Yemen, measured him for his prosthesis. He was initially fitted at the centre where, assisted by HI, he did exercises to learn to walk with his new leg.

HI also taught Ameen weight-training exercises to do at home. He learned how to keep his stump clean and take care of his prosthesis and was given psychological support to overcome his depression following the loss of his leg.

Future plans

Ameen is making plans for the future:

“Now I can walk again I want to go back to university,”

he explains. He wants to put the accident behind him and get his life back on track by finishing his studies in computer science and playing his favourite sport - football.

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Date published: 23/03/20

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