The village of Gagjali (or Godjalih) in Iraq is a suburb of Mosul, awfully close to the front line. Equally inhabited by Arabs and Kurds, both ethnic groups lived in peace until the arrival of Daesh. Every day arriving there, by foot or by some fortune vehicles, many families fleeing war directed towards the nearby refugee camps, stopping for a short rest. In the village, there is also a small hospital run by American volunteers of a Slovak N.G.O., Academy of Emergency Medicines, young guys which provide first aid services to those in need: civilian and military alike. Their work is terrible and grueling; the hospital is nothing more than an abandoned house. Often the first-aid workers must work without proper supplies, in particular, the lack of blood for transfusions. Lack of blood is the main reason for deaths in the hospital. A.E.M. is a small N.G.O. with few resources and they don't have a refrigerator where to store blood, once the injured begin to bleed it is over. Children are the hardest patients to treat because of their low threshold of pain that makes them move all the time and for their physical frailty. Once rescued, people are transported by ambulance to the nearest available and better-equipped hospital. The local economy is almost nonexistent, just a shepherd and a young boy who sells tea and snacks to foreign journalists.
Out from the hospital
Bringing a body to a cemetery out from Godjali after the funeral
A civilian victim of a bullet on the foot by a sniper
Refugees escaped from Mosul taking rest before to continue their walk to the refugee camp.
Three generation of Godjali residents (children, fathers and grandpa) in front of their house after the Friday lunch
Children of the village playing with marbles in a space beside the hospital full of bullet cartridges
A civilian walking near a corpse in decomposition of a Daesh soldier close to the front line
A very young child is treated for a head wound, fortunately the injurion is not dangerous.
A sniper blew the jaw to this man. Snipers of Daesh do not shoot the civilians to kill but to do more damage so that in the next years they will be a cost to society
the bloodstained trousers of a doctor
The foot of a dead man
An injured soldier arrived by a cart pulled by hand
An injured soldier brought by a Humwee, shooting photos to the injured soldiers it's forbidden
A woman is brought to another hospital with an ambulance
A father cry the death of his young son
Doctors try to reanimate a young boy victim of a bullet. Unfortunately there's nothing to do when somebody bleeding too much.
A young child is treated for shrapnel wounds
A family crying the relative (may'be a grandma) just dead.
Father bringing his injured child to the hospital
People fleed from Mosul arrived in Godjali by a pick-up
A man bringing his son to the ambulance to go to the most near hospital. The Godjali hospital give just a first aid
A man and his old father on the wheelchair
The hospital, don't have electricity h24, it needs of any available light.
Also the light of a mobile phone could be precious
A Humvee Bringing another injured soldier after the sunset.
There is no light and the hospital has difficulty treat people, in spite of this the volunteers remain to help those need
People escaped from Mosul have found place on the back of a pick-up
According to a report published in 2013 by UNICEF “One in three children under-five does not officially exist."
The report says “the births of nearly 230 million children under-five have never been registered; approximately one in three of all children under-five around the world.”
Children unregistered at birth will not have documentation proving who they are, including a birth certificate, which can deny them from accessing education, health care and social security programs and from obtaining a passport.
For poor families in underdeveloped countries, especially those living in remote areas, registering a birth can mean having to travel a great distance to a government office which they do not have time to do or for which they are not able to afford the cost.
Adama Sawadogo, a documentation security consultant in Burkina Faso worked three years on an invention he calls ‘iCivil’ that could revolutionize the registration of children. iCivil couples the SMS text capabilities of a smartphone with a secure authentication technology called ‘Bubble Tag’, developed by the French company Prooftag.
A newborn child receives a wrist bracelet with a QR (Quick Response) barcode which can be scanned by the smartphone. Details of the child’s birth are then sent as an SMS message to a central computer server operated by the government of the country.
ROUGH-CUT VERSION AVAILABLE HERE: https://www.transterramedia.com/media/66991
According to a report published in 2013 by UNICEF “One in three children under-five does not officially exist”.
The report says “the births of nearly 230 million children under-five have never been registered; approximately one in three of all children under-five around the world.”
Children unregistered at birth will not have documentation proving who they are, including a birth certificate, which can deny them from accessing education, health care and social security programs and from obtaining a passport.
For poor families in underdeveloped countries, especially those living in remote areas, registering a birth can mean having to travel a great distance to a government office which they do not have time to do or for which they are not able to afford the cost.
Adama Sawadogo, a documentation security consultant in Burkina Faso worked three years on an invention he calls ‘iCivil’ that could revolutionize the registration of children. iCivil couples the SMS text capabilities of a smartphone with a secure authentication technology called ‘Bubble Tag’, developed by the French company Prooftag.
A newborn child receives a wrist bracelet with a QR (Quick Response) barcode which can be scanned by the smartphone. Details of the child’s birth are then sent as an SMS message to a central computer server operated by the government of the country.
Hilltribe people get free medical treatment in the hospital of the German Doctors in Valencia, Mindanao, Philippines.
Desperate Grandmother with a sick child seeks help at the Hospital of the German Doctors in Valencia, Mindanao, Philippines. The NGO offers free medical treatment for poor hill tribe people.
An infant at the NGO German Doctors Hospital in Valencia, Mindanao, Philippines.
A Filipina volunteer nurse works with the NGO German Doctors to provide free medical treatment in a village of trash collectors near Cebu City in the Philippines.
A bomb went off inside the Erawan Shrine at the Ratchaprasong intersection in Pathum Wan District, Bangkok, Thailand, on 17 August, 2015, killing 20 people and injuring another 125. Injured were transferred to the Police Station Hospital.
Gilda Arnez (right), 46, from Bolivia, visits Gustavo (center) at Clinica Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain. Gilda used to be his caregiver few years ago.
Gilda Arnez migrated to Barcelona for economical reasons in 2004. She left three children back in Bolivia and wanted to improve their future while working in Europe and sending them money. However, life in Spain has not been so good as she expected and she has been working in many small jobs, mostly taking care of elder and disabled people. Now that she has legal residency in Spain, she would like to bring her children.
Gilda Arnez (left), 46, from Bolivia, makes up Josefina's face, at Sant Joan Despí Hospital, Barcelona, Spain. Josefina, a 96-year-old woman, used to be taken care by Gilda few years ago.
Gilda Arnez migrated to Barcelona for economical reasons in 2004. She left three children back in Bolivia and wanted to improve their future while working in Europe and sending them money. However, life in Spain has not been so good as she expected and she has been working in many small jobs, mostly taking care of elder and disabled people. Now that she has legal residency in Spain, she would like to bring her children.
Bolivian national Gilda Arnez (left), 46, visits Fina and others at her former job at Sant Joan Despí Hospital, in Barcelona.
Gilda Arnez migrated to Barcelona for economical reasons in 2004. She left three children back in Bolivia and wanted to improve their future while working in Europe and sending them money. However, life in Spain has not been so good as she expected and she has been working in many small jobs, mostly taking care of old and disabled people. Now that she has legal residency in Spain, she would like to bring her children.
Gilda Arnez (right), 46, from Bolivia, visits Maravillas at her house in Cornellà, Barcelona, Spain. Maravillas, a 90-year-old woman, used to be taken care by Gilda few years ago.
Gilda Arnez migrated to Barcelona for economical reasons in 2004. She left three children back in Bolivia and wanted to improve their future while working in Europe and sending them money. However, life in Spain has not been so good as she expected and she has been working in many small jobs, mostly taking care of old and disabled people. Now that she has legal residency in Spain, she would like to bring her children.
Gilda Arnez (right), 46, from Bolivia, visits Maravillas at her house in Cornellà, Barcelona, Spain. Maravillas, a 90-year-old woman, used to be taken care by Gilda few years ago.
Gilda Arnez migrated to Barcelona for economical reasons in 2004. She left three children back in Bolivia and wanted to improve their future while working in Europe and sending them money. However, life in Spain has not been so good as she expected and she has been working in many small jobs, mostly taking care of old and disabled people. Now that she has legal residency in Spain, she would like to bring her children.
10 year old Ammar suffers from neuroblastoma, a rare type of childhood cancer that develops in infants and young children. Ammar lives with his family in the opposition-held area of Douma, in Eastern Ghouta. The residents of Eastern Ghouta have been surviving under extremely hard living conditions due to the ongoing siege imposed by the Assad regime's forces over the past two years.
In Dar al-Rahma, the only active cancer center operating in Eastern Ghouta, Dr. Wissam says that Ammar suffered sever emotional trauma, which was the primary cause of his neuroblastoma.
Ammar’s mother remembers when, nearly 3 years ago, heavy clashes and shelling erupted in the neighborhood where they reside. The clashes lasted for three hours and severely terrified Ammar. Since then the boy had suffered from fever and continuous sickness.
Dr. Wissam also stressed that with very little resources, Dar al-Rahma center is currently treating about 600 patients suffering from different types of cancer with an 11% death-rate.
Unfortunately, Transterra Media received a message on the night of Saturday, June 13, 2015 announcing the death of Ammar.
Transcription:
- (02:27) Um Ammar, Ammar’s mother (woman, Arabic):
Ammar was sitting at the balcony when shelling and clashes erupted, he was extremely terrified, since then he suffered from continuous fever and sickness. We took him to the doctor who examined him and found out that he has neuroblastoma. It’s a rare disease that infects one out of every 10,00 children, and the reason is emotional trauma. (02:50)
(02:51) Given that the area is besieged, how are you receiving Ammar’s medications? (02:58)
(02:58) The doctor gets part of them, but we were responsible to get the rest. There are also some medical tests that the doctor asks us to do, but we cannot send it for analysis in Damascus. This is an additional reason why his situation is relapsing, not being able to deliver the medical tests to Damascus. This made his recovery take more time. This led [Ammar] to loose his sight. We are hoping, but we don’t think he could get any better now (03:38).
(03:40) Under the siege, should Ammar follow a specific diet program? (03:45).
(03:46) The doctor says that half of the treatment is done through his diet program. Alhamdulillah we are doing all what we can. We cannot do anything more. Yes, he should follow a specific diet program, unlike other children (04:02).
- Doctor Wissam, Doctor specialized in cancer diseases (woman, Arabic):
(04:24) At first, Ammar was diagnosed after he was suffered from a shock. He suffered from continuous sweating and fever, and he was later diagnosed with neuroblastoma. He started with this treatment and then had to stop it at the (name of the previous hospital) where he had already started the treatment, and came to continue the treatment here. When he got here, he was already in the recovery stage, but unfortunately, within two months, his situation relapsed dramatically due to a psychological trauma. We had to start a new treatment phase. One of the reasons why his treatment was delayed was the lack of the MRI Scanners. In addition of the lack of the medications, either because a delay in the supply or because of the hard situation to get the medications in Ghouta, we are trying at the moment to stay in contact with international organizations such as the Red Crescent or other organizations responsible for swelling diseases, perhaps Ammar has any chance [by getting the medications inside Ghouta]. (05:32).
(05:33) What are the efforts that this medical centre is doing under the siege? (05:40).
(05:41) At the moment we have more than 600 persons who are documented of having swelling diseases that are under treatment, and a percentage of 30% of recovery, and 10.5% of deaths. We are trying to give them the medications as much as possible, but we are facing some difficulties in doing so. The besiege and the diet factor are playing a negative role in the process, because it is known that the cancer patient needs a specific food diet program so that his body can bear the medications he is receiving. In addition of course to the negative psychological factor (06:22).
- Heba, Nurse (woman, Arabic):
(08:16) Here’s a breast eradication with part of the other breast and some parts of the armpit.. we take samples of the armpit and sample of the breast to check how bad is the infection, we record it and we send it for the lab analysis.
- Abu Khaled, Managing Director of Dar al-Rahma center (man, Arabic):
(08:29) Sometimes the patient comes and take the dose of the medications to make the swelling smaller. We are sometimes in need of a surgery, but unfortunately, most of the medical centers that do these surgeries stopped their operations. The reason is because their efforts are put only for the injured people. This reason sometimes plays a negative role in the recovery of the patients, because the patients who are not getting this surgery have their situation relapsed.
Jisr al-Shughour, Syria
May 11, 2015
More than 200 Syrian government fighters, possibly including high ranking officers, are believed to have been besieged in the government hospital complex in the town of Jisr al-Shughour for more than two weeks. This is one of the few locations where Syrian regime forces still exist in Idlib province. Syrian government forces have failed to break the siege despite several airstrikes and ground operations.
This video offers an inside look at positions held by the Nusra Front within the wrecked hospital complex, which has become a battlefield. Rebel fighters control three of the hospital's four main buildings.
Rebel military commanders speculated in interviews that high ranking Syrian, Iranian and Russian military officers, as well as the governor of Idlib might be caught in the remaining building.
SHOTLIST
Wide of building where Syrian government troops are hiding
Medium of Nusra Front fighter behind sandbags
Close-up of rifle tip
Various inside blood bank building held by Nusra Front
Various of destroyed buildings
Various inside the blood bank building
Wide of building held by regime forces
Various of Nusra Front fighters
Interview with Abu Zain al-Abidin, Nusra Front commander
Various of Abu Zain al-Abdidin with other Nusra Front fighters
Interview with unnamed Nusra Front fighter
Various of a room that was used as a detention center by regime forces
Interview with unnamed Nusra Front fighter
Close-up of graffiti written by regime fighters
Various of Nusra Front fighters attempting to approach regime-held building
Various of wrecked cars and killed regime fighters’ corpses
Medium of tank
Interview with Abu Omar al-Zaybaq, a Nusra Front commander
Various of regime-held building
Close-up of empty bullet casings
Various of Nusra Front fighters shooting at regime-held building
Wide of regime-held building
TRANSCRIPT
SOUNDBITE (Man, Arabic) Abu Zain al-Abidin , Nusra Front Commander
(02:10 – 03:53)
02:10
“In the name of God, peace be upon God’s Messenger, and thanks be to God.
We are inside Jisr al-Shughour Hospital. Over there is the hospital’s main gate; here is the external clinics building behind me. This is the external clinics building. We are now in the hospital’s surrounding.
Q: We heard that high ranking officers from regime forces are inside the hospital. What kind of information do you have about this? And what is the approximate number of people inside the hospital, which you are now besieging?
A: The estimated number of people is 250. There might be high ranking personalities or the governor [of Idlib province]. There might be important personalities.
Q: In reaction, what did the regime do to break the siege and how did you manage to push back the regime forces?
A: It [the regime] is using all sorts of weapons, such as warplanes; it is trying with all sorts of weapons, but, thanks be to God, we are prepared to confront it. We shall retaliate with sophisticated and modern means. The regime will witness surprises in the next few hours.
03:26
We enforced a security perimeter with a radius of about five to six km and they could not withdraw. If they were able to withdraw they would have done it. Some of them withdrew but the others could not.
Our attack, thanks be to God, was very fast and we were able to enforce the siege unexpectedly. The perimeter we enforced on them was large. They were not able to withdraw. If they could withdraw they would have done it.”
SOUNDBITE (Arabic, Man) Unnamed Nusra Front Fighter
04:17 – 04:53
“We are now at the external clinics building in the National Hospital of Jisr al-Shughour. The infidel enemy is located in that building, which is a few meters away.
We are now closing down on them with the help of God Almighty.
God willing, we will storm the building with explosive-rigged cars the likes of which the regime has not seen.
The men we have brought to fight you love death as much as you love life. We have brought migrant as well as local fighters. Thanks be to God.”
SOUNDBITE (Arabic, Man) Unnamed Nusra Front Fighter
(05:17 – 05:54)
“This is not a prison. This is supposed to be a hospital. However, God’s enemy turned this into a cell to detain Muslims. Unfortunately, look how Muslims draw on the walls. May God help us. [UNINTELLIGIBLE] Prisoners had no knives or weapons and were placed in the second floor underground.
May God help us; may God help us. God willing, we have come to cut your throats.”
SOUNDBITE (Arabic, Man) Abu Omar al-Zaybaq
(07:26 – 08:40)
07:26
“In the name of God,
In the course of the hospital battle, thank be to God we are besieging [regime members] from all sides. Thanks be to God, we have controlled the three [main] buildings. There are one more building and the basement left.
God willing, we will soon be inside the basement where Assad’s gangs are located, which is where secrets are kept.
08:01
Q: What are these secrets? What is it that enabled people besieged in a single building to hold on?
A: God knows better, but it is said that the regime is so ferocious in trying to keep this hospital. God knows better, there might be high ranking officers, who could be Iranians or Russians. There could also be chemical weapons.
In the next few days we will bring you new information.”