SOUTH AFRICA TO BRING BACK A SMILE TO MOHAMED TAMIMI

SHAMSAAN meaning 2 suns in Arabic, is a South African initiative that advocates for the protection of children’s rights to peace, equality, dignity, justice and freedom. Our projects have focussed on children impacted by military conflict and human rights abuse. Shamsaan works to create expanded platforms for youth engagement and undertakes projects that provide targeted mentorship, education and healthcare.

HELP US MAKE A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF CHILDREN

Suffering scars both physically and emotionally, a young boy, 15 year old Mohammed Tamimi, from Nabi Saleh in Palestine, made a desperate plea for help in a facebook post.

Mohamed was shot in the face at close range in December 2017 by Israeli soldiers and underwent an emergency 6-hour surgical procedure involving 7 surgeons to extract the bullet and a large part of his skull to relieve pressure on his swollen brain. Following his discharge from the hospital, Israeli forces have relentlessly and repeatedly targeted him. He was arrested twice while he was recovering at home, he was subjected to brutal interrogation with the army stating thereafter, that Mohamed’s injuries resulted from a bicycle accident and that he had not been shot.

Mohamed’s shooting, metres away from the home of his 16 year old cousin, Ahed Tamimi, prompted her action against soldiers in the slapping incident that went viral across the world. Ahed was sentenced to 8 months imprisonment but has since emerged as an icon of youth resistance.

Shamsaan, with the financial support of the AwqafSA from its Children of Palestine Waqf and a few donors have arranged to bring Mohamed Tamimi to South Africa for reconstructive surgery.