Brave teen endures family’s massacre at the hands of ISIS and double leg amputation to dream of being a doctor
Zeynab watched as bloodthirsty terrorists murdered her mum and relatives... but a charity's help has inspired her to follow her dreams
WHEN ISIS attacked the northern Iraqi city of Tal Afar in August 2014, 15-year-old Zeynab’s world was turned upside down.
The militants attacked her family home and killed her mother, massacred several of her other relatives and horribly injured many others.
Not even her sisters were spared.
Her older sister was shot in the stomach and leg, and her younger sister had her leg broken by a bullet.
Not only did ISIS try to destroy her family, they also tried to destroy her chance to have the normal, happy childhood that every girl deserves.
She was injured so severely that doctors were forced to amputate both her legs above the knee.
A team from The Sun-backed AMAR Foundation has looked after Zeynab and her sisters ever since they managed to make it to the safety of their relatives in the capital Baghdad.
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With the help of AMAR staff who are in desperate need of donations, they are gradually regaining the hope and optimism of which ISIS tried to rob them.
Today, Zeynab’s sisters are now almost fully recovered, and she is receiving specialist treatment to help her learn to walk again using prosthetic legs.
After their harrowing experience, the girls have slowly gained the confidence to have fun.
“When the girls got to us, their eyes were so empty and their faces were completely blank – like they’d forgotten how to smile”, said Zeynab’s aunt.
“But, after a while, I looked out of the window and saw them playing together in front of the house. They looked like my nieces again – it made me so happy.”
Brave Zeynab refuses to be defeated by her condition.
Despite her horrifying ordeal, she is determined to return to school: “I hope that I can continue my education so that I can achieve my dream of becoming a doctor”, she told Dr Ali Muthanna, AMAR’s regional manager in Iraq.
“The doctors who treated my sisters and I saved our lives.
"I want to study hard so that I can be just like them”, she added.
AMAR is supporting Zeynab on every step of the way, reintegrating her into the formal education system, and ensuring that she has the bright and, above all, peaceful future that she deserves.
And you can help this amazing charity continue its inspiring work for children like Zeynab.
Please donate to The Sun's Smiles at Christmas campaign at our JustGiving page .
Your donation – no matter how much you can spare – could help save the life of a youngster caught up in a conflict they know little about.
A £30 donation could feed a desperate family for one week.
But any amount will help give these war-scarred children a second chance at a happy life.
See below for the different ways you can help support the cause.
