Mohammed, 10, was a bright, hard-working and popular boy who lived in a poor neighbourhood of Baghdad. He had been an orphan for three years, but IR aid workers were working with him and his family and he was waiting for a sponsor.

The family moved to Kirkuk in northern Iraq to escape the increasing violence they saw in their neighbourhood but on 27 August 2006, he was knocked down by a speeding car as he crossed a road.

He died at the scene of the accident in front of his mother.

Young Breadwinner
Mohammed was seven years old when his father died and he had to start working to provide for the family. There was no choice; the family had to pay a rent of US$ 75 a month for their home.

He started selling sweets in his neighbourhood and then found work as a blacksmith in a workshop near his home.

Despite the pressures on him, Mohammed continued his studies. He was a clever boy and did well at school, always finishing his homework after his day at the workshop.

IR's orphans officer remembers Mohammed's happiness when he was registered for sponsorship. "He smiled at me saying, 'I cannot believe that you will sponsor me. I will be able to stop working and play with my friends in the afternoons."

Internally Displaced
Mohammed lived with his two sisters and their mother in a small rented flat in one of the poorest and most violent neighbourhoods of Baghdad. As armed clashes in their neighbourhood increased in ferocity they left the city and moved north to live with an aunt in Kirkuk.

The family became one of the estimated 1.9 million Iraqis that are currently internally displaced. A further 2 million people have fled the country completely.

Nightingale
Mohammed's neighbours liked him very much. He used to pray at a local mosque and had a talent for reciting the Holy Qur'an. His friends nicknamed him 'the mosque's nightingale' because of his sweet voice.

He loved the mosque and would help his mother clean it every week.

Back to Baghdad
Since Mohammed's death, his mother and two sisters have returned to Baghdad, but they are still struggling to cope with their loss. 

"The light of our house went out," said Mohammed’s mother. "We cannot believe that we have lost our little son and our only breadwinner at the same time."

Maram

IR supported the family through its Orphans General Fund until a UK sponsor was found for Mohammed’s sister, Maram.

IR continues to work in Iraq despite the difficulties of operating in an increasingly violent environment. One-to-one sponsorships began in 2004 and there are almost 1,000 sponsored orphans in Iraq.

Visit www.alyateem.com today to sponsor an Iraqi orphan.