The Big Heart Foundation's USD 1.6 million investment in the Taawon-led initiative enables a full continuum of care for over 200 children and builds a digital platform to coordinate rehabilitation across the Gaza Strip.
GAZA / RAMALLAH — [DATE] — The Gaza Rehab Care (GRC) Initiative, led by Taawon (Welfare Association) to rebuild rehabilitation care in Gaza, today launched a USD 1.6 million Programme funded by The Big Heart Foundation to restore mobility, dignity and independence to over 200 children who have lost limbs. The Foundation's investment enables comprehensive, child-centred rehabilitation and builds a digital platform that coordinates care across the Gaza Strip.
More than 170,000 people have been injured in Gaza, and over 6,000 need prosthetic limbs, with over 43,000 requiring long-term, multidisciplinary rehabilitation. Roughly one out of five of amputation cases are children — the highest per-capita rate of pediatric amputations in the world. Rehabilitation facilities have fallen by 62%, and only 8 prosthetists remain to serve thousands of children and adults. (Figures as of May 2026.)
Gaza Rehab Care responds to this crisis with a coordinated model grounded in a field assessment developed through consultations with local stakeholders and aligned with WHO rehabilitation frameworks. It places the child, rather than the prosthetic, at the centre of care, and works within the Palestinian health system to build local capacity.
Comprehensive care for over 200 children.
The programme provides a full continuum of care, including prosthetics and assistive devices, physical and occupational therapy, psychosocial support, and community reintegration. It is implemented in collaboration with a number of organizations working on the ground, through a care model designed to respond to each child’s evolving needs as they grow and progress throughout their rehabilitation journey.
A digital backbone for coordinated care.
The initiative also builds a digital platform for amputation case management — a unified registry, that identifies, tracks and coordinates care for children and families across providers. The platform strengthens continuity of care, transparency and evidence-based decision-making throughout each child's rehabilitation.
“Our commitment is to rebuild a holistic ecosystem of rehabilitation care for people with amputations in Gaza — one that restores mobility, dignity, and independence, and endures for the long term,” said Dr Tareq Emtairah, Director General of Taawon. "This is not a temporary intervention. It is an investment in Palestinian capability, in local professionals, and in a system that stays standing."
Her Excellency Mariam Mohammed Al Hammadi, Advisory Board Member at The Big Heart Foundation, said: “No child should have their future defined by a crisis they did not choose. Our responsibility is to ensure that what happened to them does not become the limit of who they can be. This means protecting their dignity, restoring their sense of agency, and helping them see themselves through their abilities and aspirations rather than through what they have lost. At The Big Heart Foundation, we believe humanitarian action should give people the confidence and opportunity to move forward and shape their own future.”
She added: “Our approach is to turn compassion into responsibility and support into lasting possibility. We measure impact by the confidence restored, the choices returned and the opportunities kept open. A crisis may change the course of a child’s life, but it should never decide the limits of their future.”
Convened by Taawon with the Munib & Angela Masri Foundation and the American University of Beirut Global Health Institute (AUB GHI), and coordinated with the Palestinian Ministry of Health and WHO (occupied Palestinian territory), Gaza Rehab Care is designed to last. By training Palestinian professionals, equipping local partners and embedding coordination tools within national health structures, the initiative lays the foundations of a sustainable rehabilitation system for Gaza's children.
Gaza Rehab Care (GRC)
Gaza Rehab Care (GRC) Initiative is a coordinated rehabilitation response to the child amputation crisis in Gaza. Convened by Taawon with the Munib & Angela Masri Foundation and AUB GHI, and coordinated with the Palestinian Ministry of Health, GRC combines child-centred service delivery with digital infrastructure to restore mobility, dignity and independence for children in Gaza.
Taawon (Welfare Association)
Taawon (Welfare Association) is a leading Palestinian non-profit organisation founded in 1983, dedicated to education, culture, community development and humanitarian relief, empowering Palestinian communities and preserving their identity in Palestine and the refugee camps in Lebanon. www.taawon.org
The Big Heart Foundation
The Big Heart Foundation (TBHF) is a global humanitarian foundation based in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, established in 2015 under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi. TBHF works to safeguard the rights and improve the lives of vulnerable children and families worldwide, particularly in the Arab region, through advocacy, humanitarian and development efforts. www.tbhf.ae
Munib & Angela Masri Foundation
The Munib & Angela Masri Foundation is an independent, non-profit charitable foundation established in 1970, dedicated to education, healthcare, economic empowerment and culture, working to ensure that individuals can access their fundamental rights to live with dignity and participate fully in society. www.masrifoundation.org
AUB Global Health Institute (AUB GHI)
The Global Health Institute is an academic institute established in 2017 at the American University of Beirut, dedicated to addressing global health challenges through research, policy and advocacy, and promoting context-based, locally-led solutions. www.aub.edu.lb/ghi