The life of Ahmed, an Iraqi child with no legs, minimal eyesight and a 70 percent burned body, was forever changed by an ambitious 16-year-old, Zeina Al-Khalaf.
Al-Khalaf, now a sophomore at George Mason University, has decided to provide a helping hand to wounded children halfway across the globe.
“When I met Ahmed, I felt like I had to help. I don’t think what I am doing is amazing, I think it’s what should be done,” said Al-Khalaf.
Al-Khalaf decided to bring change halfway across the globe when she first encountered Ahmed and became aware of the atrocities that these young innocent children suffer as victims of war.
Raising Smiles, established by Al-Khalaf, during her sophomore year at Robinson High School in Fairfax, is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing assistance to young Iraqi children in need of medical help. Al-Khalaf’s enthusiasm and passion has encouraged many fellow students and faculty at Mason to become active, including Dr. Bassam Haddad, a professor of Political Science and the GMU director of the Middle East Studies Program.
Raising Smiles sponsored an event on Oct.12 at the Johnson Center on the Fairfax campus to raise money and to enlighten the Mason community. The event consisted of speeches from Mason students and faculty, a touching slideshow, and information on how to give out a helping hand.
“My biggest goal is to spread awareness and to show people that it’s not a hard thing to do,” said Al-Khalaf about how students can contribute.
Al-Khalaf elaborated that at a minimal level, if GMU students spread the word about Raising Smiles, it would make a difference in a young child’s life.
“At least 20-30 percent of casualties of war are children, and this constitutes the most tragic result of wars. It is our duty as citizens of America to help,” said Haddad in his passionate speech at the event.
Haddad’s speech consisted of statistics and a detailed background of the atrocities these young victims of war face on a day- to- day basis.
A touching slideshow of innocent and helpless young children, some without arms, deformed limbs and half- burned bodies had an intense impact on the hundreds of individuals that attended the Raising Smiles event.
“To see things visually and to see what is going on has a very profound impact, and that is why we decided to bring Ahmed and Dalal,” said Lana Hasan, a Mason senior, who helped coordinate the event. Dalal, a young girl and victim of the war in Iraq who lost her legs, is another child whose life has been saved by Raising Smiles.
“They [Iraqi children] are not just numbers or statistics, they are my children,” said Elissa Montanti, a volunteer at the Global Medical Relief Fund, which has partnered with Raising Smiles.
Montanti had her first encounter and an epiphany when she met Keenan, an armless boy who was in desperate need of medical help. Montanti’s bond with Keenan evolved into a mother-son relationship. Keenan is now her son.
“My labor is a labor of love. It feels great to know that I have literally given back an innocent child their life and restored their dignity,” said Montanti.
Montanti is voluntarily working for this cause full time without compensation. Montanti says that she can sleep more peacefully at night because she knows that she has changed a young child’s life.
“Students like Zeina, who are so involved in such a humanitarian cause, motivate me and I feel that I should be involved as well,” said Yaqeen Sharrofna, a friend of Al-Khalaf who is a junior at Mason.
Sharrofna, like many other students at the event, was inspired and motivated by Al-Khalaf’s noble cause.
“What makes our organization unique is the opportunity for us to actually meet and bond with the kids,” said Al-Khalaf.
The sight of Ahmed, fully recovered and healthy, running around the stage in his shining black tuxedo with a big smile on his face, is what the audience captured. It is amazing how a student like Al-Khalaf can do an extraordinary thing such as saving young lives halfway across the world.