UNICEF WeShare - SoP Nesma A-ROLL EN SUBS

[NOT FOR FUNDRAISING USE. JANA, THE CHILD FEATURED IN THIS VIDEO, DIED ON 17 SEPTEMBER 2025].

TITLE: SoP_196a malnutrition Jana A-ROLL
RESTRICTION(S): None (or what are they, if any)
SHOOT DATE(S): 25 August 2025
LOCATION(S): Gaza City (Friends of the Patient Society Hospital), State of Palestine
VIDEOGRAPHER: Rawan ELEYAN
EDITOR(S): Ahmad ALBAKRI
FIELD PRODUCER(S): Tess INGRAM, Rawan ELEYAN
IN-HOUSE PRODUCER(S): Christine NESBITT
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 2:57
ORIGINAL LANGUAGES(s):
Arabic

STORYLINE / BLURB:
On 25 August 2025, in Gaza City, UNICEF supported the screening and treatment of children with acute malnutrition, in Friends of the Patient Society Hospital. Children suffering from moderate and severe acute malnutrition received Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF). Hospitals, already overwhelmed with trauma cases, are struggling to cope. Children like Jana, 9 years old, highlight the compounded crisis: Jana’s survival is threatened by hunger and lack of treatment. Her sister, Joury, died only weeks ago from acute malnutrition — a devastating reminder that children’s lives in Gaza are put at risk, not just by airstrikes, but also by the living conditions. In the Gaza Strip, the malnutrition crisis has reached catastrophic levels. The entire child population under five — over 320,000 children — is at risk of acute malnutrition. In July alone, 13,000 children were identified as acutely malnourished, the highest monthly figure ever recorded, representing more than a 500 per cent increase since the start of the year.

SHOTLIST/TRANSCRIPT:

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:03:15
I am Nesma Ayed, the mother of Jana Ayed.

00:00:03:23 - 00:00:07:08
My daughter was just like any other child,
with no health problems or symptoms.

00:00:07:19 - 00:00:13:04
Suddenly, during the first famine in the north,
she developed serious issues.

00:00:13:13 - 00:00:16:13
She had fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, and her legs became swollen.

00:00:16:22 - 00:00:19:27
I took her to Kamal Adwan Hospital,

00:00:20:02 - 00:00:22:22
where she was treated for a full month.

00:00:22:24 - 00:00:24:11
Her blood test showed a level of 4.

00:00:25:00 - 00:00:31:13
Her weight was dropping day by day,
her legs were swollen, and her skin was red.

00:00:31:19 - 00:00:38:10
One day, a foreign delegation came to the hospital and offered to transfer us from the north to the south, to IMC.

00:00:38:16 - 00:00:42:10
I was interviewed, and then I went with my children to IMC,

00:00:42:13 - 00:00:45:20
where Jana received treatment for about seven to eight months.

00:00:45:24 - 00:00:48:01
Her condition was extremely difficult — very, very difficult.

00:00:48:10 - 00:00:56:02
Thank God, she improved at IMC,
and her health started getting better.

00:00:56:06 - 00:00:58:06
But she still needed additional medical care.

00:00:58:11 - 00:01:04:17
When the truce came, we returned to the north,
and Jana’s condition was better.

00:01:04:23 - 00:01:07:06
Then came the second famine in the north.

00:01:07:13 - 00:01:09:04
My daughter suffered greatly.

00:01:09:08 - 00:01:12:24
She lost a lot of weight, blood, and vital elements in her body.

00:01:13:00 - 00:01:20:06
She developed severe deficiencies in potassium and magnesium,
which caused her health to deteriorate again.

00:01:20:19 - 00:01:27:25
At the same time, my other daughter, Jouri,
who was only two and a half years old,

00:01:27:28 - 00:01:30:15
had no prior problems or symptoms.

00:01:30:17 - 00:01:34:02
Suddenly, her legs became swollen,

00:01:34:11 - 00:01:41:06
her skin turned red, and she developed wounds and bleeding.

00:01:41:17 - 00:01:46:02
It was devastating. In just 20 days, Jouri deteriorated this way.

00:01:47:00 - 00:01:51:05
She was admitted to intensive care, and then she passed away.

00:01:51:09 - 00:01:54:13
I don’t want to relive the pain of losing Jouri with Jana.

00:01:54:13 - 00:01:59:13
I only wish for Jana to recover and be chosen for treatment abroad.

00:01:59:15 - 00:02:05:25
That is my deepest hope, for Jana to live, and for me not to lose her.

00:02:05:28 - 00:02:09:09
This is an unbearable pain for any mother.

00:02:09:09 - 00:02:12:20
It is hard and deeply painful.

00:02:12:20 - 00:02:19:11
I struggled for years, receiving treatment just to become a mother,
and then suddenly I lose my daughter.

00:02:19:14 - 00:02:25:03
It is the hardest feeling, not just words, but the truth from all my heart.

00:02:25:09 - 00:02:27:20
I am crushed after raising my child only to lose her in my arms.

00:02:27:25 - 00:02:34:26
I say only what pleases God,
but I beg not to lose Jana too.

00:02:35:01 - 00:02:37:08
That would be too much for me to bear.

00:02:37:22 - 00:02:43:22
Every day I see my daughter fading before my eyes.

00:02:44:06 - 00:02:48:01
The pain is indescribable, especially when she had no illnesses before.

00:02:48:01 - 00:02:49:27
Yes, it is in God’s hands,

00:02:50:07 - 00:02:56:22
but to lose her because of famine, siege, and the conditions
we live in here, that is unbearable.

On 25 August 2025, in Gaza City, UNICEF supported the screening and treatment of children with acute malnutrition, in Friends of the Patient Society Hospital. Children suffering from moderate and severe acute malnutrition received Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF). Hospitals, already overwhelmed with trauma cases, are struggling to cope. Children like Jana highlight the compounded crisis: Jana’s survival is threatened by hunger and lack of treatment. Her sister, Jouri, died only weeks ago from acute malnutrition — a devastating reminder that children’s lives in Gaza are put at risk, not just by airstrikes, but also by the living conditions. In the Gaza Strip, the malnutrition crisis has reached catastrophic levels. The entire child population under five — over 320,000 children — is at risk of acute malnutrition. In July alone, 13,000 children were identified as acutely malnourished, the highest monthly figure ever recorded, representing more than a 500 per cent increase since the start of the year.