Save Ramzi's Life
On August 1st at 5:30am 14 year old Ramzi was shot three times outside his fathers home in Dheisha refugee camp during a raid by soldiers. He was shot with an explosive bullet to the right leg, a bullet in his left knee and below the other knee. Doctors say Ramzi wont be able to walk and will be disabled if he does not get the treatment he needs. If left untreated in the conditions he lives in Ramzi is in risk of losing his legs.
*This project began in November, after visiting Dheisha refugee camp with my partner I met my cousin Ramzi. Ramzi was in danger and to save him my goal was to get him an education visa to study in Ireland and give him a hope at life. This is now urgent and not about giving Ramzi a chance at life but a chance to walk again. The bullets are still in his legs and doctors say there is no more they can do. To give you an idea, the other day they tried to take him in to surgery, the electricity in the hospital went for the day, eventually he went in to surgery but they were unable to remove the bullet from his knee. We want to get him to Ireland with a medical visa, which requires private hospital treatment, we need to save Ramzi's legs. Having legs in a warzone can mean life or death when escaping the conflict. Help us save him.
BACKGROUND:
During my time in Dheisha I saw that my little cousin Ramzi was subject to constant assault, nightly raids by soldiers in the camp, tear gas bombs, seeing his friends shot to death, being attacked by soldiers including hit with the back of a gun to the face *the scar of this he still has to this day* Ramzi was traumatised. After being abandoned by this mother as a child, and his father remarrying and having children with a woman who wouldnt allow him in to the house, Ramzi was alone, vunlerable and at risk.
Ramzi expressed his fear of being shot many times. In March, like many other young boys who have been imprisoned in Palestine, Ramzi's 16 year old step brother Hamza injured with the back of a gun to the head and thrown in prison, where he still remains, for not allowing soldiers raid his house and terrorise his younger sisters yet again. After seeing his step brothers blood cover the streets Ramzi, being traumatised went on the run, sleeping rough and moving from place to place, out of fear that the same would be done to him. Here is a video of a news report done on Ramzi,as being one of the youngest children on the run from soldiers.
For a long time Ramzi continued to hide,too scared of being captured or hurt like his brother and friends. Here is an article about this by middle east eye
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/palestinian-12-year-old-run-israeli-forces-1656081317
Knowing he was in danger Ramzi said, “I didn’t do anything, I don’t know what they want from me, and that means they will hurt me because I have nothing to tell them.” Ramzi and all of our fears came true when he was shot in the early hours of last Monday. Here is a news report from the night he was shot: http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=772455
Doctors say Ramzi could loose his legs if we do not act quick to get him out of the country so he can receive this urgently needed treatment. The hospital Ramzi is in is poorly resourced, and Ramzi is at risk of having his legs amputated or developing an infection in the circumstances he is living in. His relatives in the impoverished refugee camp can barely afford to feed their own children, and dont have the resources to care for a disabled child. Ramzi does not need to be disabled, we can bring him here and he can walk again if he gets the treatment- but this can only happen with your help.
Here are the medical requirements from the Irish Immigration beaureau http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/Pages/Medical%20Treatment
Quote from Intesar, Aunt of Ramzi on seeing Ramzi brought to hospital:
"One of the worst situations I have ever saw in my life when my nephew Ramzi was shot. No ambulance, no hospital cars arrived, we took him by taxi to Al Hussein Hospital and he was left bleeding for hours and hours. Whats worse was taking him to the next hospital by taxi to see if they could help any more, his blood covered the taxi seats."
(Ramzi and his aunt Intesar)
(Dheisisha camp where Ramzi lives)
(Ramzi when we met him in November )
Xray 1
Xray 2
The first medical report we got from the hospital when Ramzi arrived to the Hospital 
(Before the operation where they were unable to remove the bullet from his knee)
