Rozana Abu Ghannam is a Palestinian girl. At four years old her life was threatened.
In 2012, Rozana sustained terrible injuries when she fell from the ninth floor of the family’s apartment in a village near Ramallah. If not for the quick thinking of her mother, Palestinian journalist, Maysa Abu Ghannam, Rozana would have died. Maysa arranged with the Palestinian and Israeli ambulance services to transfer Rozana to Hadassah Hospital, Jerusalem, a world-renowned centre for paediatric emergency care.
People of all faiths and political allegiances have embraced Project Rozana. They are working hand-in-hand with the medical and administrative leadership of Hadassah Hospital to ensure that Palestinian health professionals are given the opportunity to train at Hadassah and other hospitals in Israel before returning to build the health capacity of their communities, and to provide treatment for critically ill and injured Palestinian children and children from countries of conflict such as Syria and Iraq.
Project Rozana is changing the health paradigm of the Palestinian people. The project, which owes a debt of gratitude to the Head of the Palestinian Delegation in Australia, Izzat Abdulhadi, has been fully endorsed by the Palestinian Authority and has the support of the Israeli Government. It is also taking quiet and considered steps toward better health outcomes for the people of Gaza.
It began with a mother’s fierce and determined love for her daughter; an incredibly strong foundation on which to build understanding and trust between people, irrespective of their gender, faith, nationality, politics, or financial means.
This is a short video story of Rozana’s initial treatment and her recovery at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem.
