Many supporters will remember baby Karam.
He was just one day old when a rescue worker brought him to SOS Children’s Villages in Rafah. His mother had died after being injured while giving birth, and with no family member identified at the time of referral, Karam urgently needed safe care and protection.
“When he first came to me, I could feel his fear,” says his caregiver, Mama Basma. “He didn’t cry much, just looked around with those big eyes. I held him close and whispered, ‘You’re safe now.’”
In emergency situations, SOS Children’s Villages Palestine works alongside humanitarian partners to trace and reunite children with surviving family members wherever possible. For every child supported by SOS Children’s Villages, the aim is to make sure they are safe, protected and supported through an active care plan focused on their best interests, including family-based care whenever this is possible.
A constant source of comfort
For Karam, Mama Basma has been a constant source of comfort and care through the earliest years of his life.
This year, she celebrated his second birthday at the SOS Children’s Villages camp in Khan Younis. With the help of the other children she cares for, they decorated the space specially for him, prepared small sweets to share, and created a joyful celebration for Karam and the other children.
After everything he has been through, it was a precious moment of happiness.
Karam has faced health challenges this year and continues to receive medical care. He is also supported by a physiotherapist, who is helping with his mobility as he learns to walk.
A close and nurturing bond
Every day, Mama Basma is by his side caring for him, encouraging him, watching over him and giving him the emotional support he needs. Their bond is close and nurturing, and her care and attention are helping him make steady progress.
Mama Basma also cares for four other children, creating a warm, stable environment full of support, affection and routine. In this environment, Karam has become more responsive and more engaged with the world around him.
“He has made progress in his mobility and started attempting to walk,” Mama Basma says proudly. “When he sees me in the kitchen, he tries to walk to reach me and holds my leg until I lift him up and kiss his cheek.”
For a child who arrived in the world in such difficult circumstances, Karam’s second birthday was more than a celebration. It was a reminder of the difference safe, consistent and loving care can make while longer-term plans are carefully considered.
Today, Karam is safe, cherished and surrounded by people who are helping him grow – while SOS Children’s Villages Palestine continues to work in his best interests and pursue the safest possible future for him.