Orphan Victim
Mostafa was a healthy 13-year-old boy who liked to play football with his friends. He died because he lived in Baghdad.

On 27 February 2007 Mostafa was playing dominoes outside his house with two friends. Suddenly a missile was launched into their neighbourhood and the air filled with smoke and debris.

Worried about her son, Mostafa’s mother rushed out of the house to find the three boys lying on the street and bleeding heavily. His friends had been killed instantly but Mostafa was still alive. He was rushed to hospital immediately but his injuries were too severe and he died 10 hours later.

No father
Mostafa never knew his father. He died in a car crash six months before Mostafa was born. Mostafa always felt like there was something missing in his life and wished that he could have met his father.

He lived with his mother, brother and sister in one of the most dangerous areas of Baghdad. Their house was in poor condition and in need of repair. It was simply furnished with one bedroom, a living room and a bathroom.

Mostafa’s brother had adopted his father’s role as the breadwinner and dropped out of school to work as a taxi driver. His mother also earned some money as an officer, but sometimes their combined incomes were not enough and they needed help from relatives.

Sponsorship
In November 2005 Mostafa joined Islamic Relief’s Orphan Sponsorship Programme and was sponsored by a donor from the USA. The regular sponsorship helped his mother feed, clothe and send her children to school, despite the chronic insecurity in the city.

Ambitions
Mostafa was in the fifth grade of primary school and was progressing well. He enjoyed English lessons but found Maths difficult. Both his classmates and his teachers admired his good manners and perseverance.

Like most boys his age he liked watching TV and playing on the computer. “He dreamt of studying computer science one day,” his mother said tearfully.

How to Help
Mostafa was one of almost 1,000 orphans sponsored through Islamic Relief in Iraq. Sponsorship gave Mostafa a better chance of surviving malnutrition and disease and staying in school. Sadly, it could not protect him from the missile that took his life.

Islamic Relief arranged for Mostafa’s sister, Zahra’a to be sponsored so that the family could continue receiving support. She is now being sponsored by a UK donor.

To sponsor an Iraqi orphan today, visit www.alyateem.com