El-Sharifa Fatima Fund
for Childhood and Motherhood

Following the visit, the Executive Director HRH Dr Princess Nisreen El-Hashemite met with the four volunteers and discussed with them the idea of establishing a library for the children. The Executive Board accepted the proposals and the funding for it will be through El-Sharifa Fatima Fund. The four Volunteers elected Miss Noof Al-Falahi to be The Director of the Library.

The Hospital Management allocated the room in the hematology division. The room supposed to be a play room but was locked and never opened to the children. Within 4 days, the room has changed completely into a new look, and the library became a reality. The children and their families were looking at the team while working and were asking all the time when it will open its doors? Each child was talking about what he/she wants to do, some say they want to read stories, others they want to feel they are back to schools, another said they want to learn English, etc. One of the Children his name is Abdullah helped in organizing the books and he donated 4 educational books that he bought for the library.

Now there is a children’s library within the hospital.

The first of its kind in an Iraqi hospital

• Teaching Lessons: Reading, writing, and Elementary School Curriculum, English Language
  
• Handcrafts and Drawing Sessions
  
• Story Time
  
• Social Behavioral and Manners lessons
  
• Movie Time
  
• Music Together
  
• Question & Answer Day: An open day for children to ask about any subject.
  
• Competitions: Best story / article written by children Best Drawing painted by children
  
• What is Your Dream? Encouraging children to write their dreams, and if possible we will make it true.
  
• Discover Iraq: History, Pictures, and Stories
  
• Family Day: As most patients are from different providences in Iraq and hardly to see their siblings while hospitalized. Therefore, Through the Family Day we will invite siblings to be with their brothers and sisters to have fun together.
  
• Open Day with a Celebrity: To invite a celebrity that children admire to be with them for a day.
• Parents Day is a family support group, something that does not exist in Iraq. This day is designed to help families deal with the consequences of a loved one’s diseases.
  

During the visit, the Princess and Volunteers noticed the situation of hospital, staff, children, and families. In summary:

• Some Children were scared from RASIT’s team as they thought they are coming to give them injections.
  
• Other Children were so sad or just crying, sleeping on their beds, doing absolutely nothing, other than waiting for meals, or treatment. Most of the children are younger than 12 years old, and do not go to school regularly because of their illnesses.
  
• Parents were sitting next to their children looking very sad either crying or just so quite knowing nothing about the destiny of their sick children, also they even do not understand the diseases.
  
• Once received the gifts, the children were excited and keen to learn writing, go back to school or study, and even to draw.
  
• Children and parents did not want the team to leave, they found someone to talk to, to play with, and smile for them.
  
• The hospital services are somehow very poor, old beds and outdated equipment, few doctors serving all these patients, lack of nurses, etc.
  
• No entertainment rooms or functions for the children. Patients are mainly from different villages and rural areas of Iraq.
  
• Almost no communication between patients’ families and the doctors, and between parents and their children, leading to a lack of hope and increase stress.
  
• RASIT’s team managed to put a smile on children’s faces that were before full of sadness and pain, and raised the spirit of hope in their families.